Despite All Odds
by 4everbrisingr
Summary: Nikita Koreyoshi has never stopped loving Gin Ichimaru, despite all the odds stacked against them. Through all the hardships and trials, good times and bad. All the little betrayals, and the big ones. But what happens when he leaves for good? GinxOC
1. Chapter 1

Despite All Odds

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach _or its characters; all credit goes to Tite Kubo.

Chapter 1

"What do you mean, I can't go home? It's almost eight o'clock!" I glared at my little white-haired captain. It was late, and I had been working all day. All I wanted to do right now was take a long bath and go to sleep.

Toshiro sighed. "I'm sorry, Koreyoshi. I still need you to deliver these papers to the first and second divisions." He handed me a stack of paperwork, looking apologetic.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine, Shiro-chan." Grabbing the papers, I ran out the door before he could yell at me for the nickname. Toshiro absolutely hated it when people called him anything other than 'Captain Hitsugaya'. Of course, that only made it more fun to ignore his title.

* * *

Walking down the street, I exited the tenth division headquarters. Why did I have to go all the way to the first division? It would take a while, even with shunpo. Tilting my head upward, I gazed up at the sky. It was a beautiful night, breezy and cool. Perfect weather for a walk, I thought. If only I didn't have to work!

* * *

I had just passed the sixth division headquarters when I saw a familiar red-head walking out of the division's main building. "Hey, Renji-kun," I greeted him.

"Hey, Nikita. Still working?" He caught up and walked alongside me, eying the papers.

"Yeah. I'm going to the first and second divisions."

"Both? I can take one if you want," Renji offered.

"Nah. Thanks, but I should do it." I gave him a grateful smile.

He shrugged. "Okay." We continued walking until we reached Renji's house. "Hey, you want me to walk you to the divisions?" Renji asked.

"No thanks. Get some rest, Pineapple-kun."

He shot me a glare before walking into the house. "Watch it," he warned jokingly. I smiled as I flash-stepped away.

* * *

I went through the fifth and fourth divisions fairly quickly, not allowing myself to be distracted by my friends. Upon entering the third division however, I found myself drawn towards the headquarters. Captain Gin Ichimaru would be there, and the last time I had talked to him had been about forty years ago. We had grown up together, along with my lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, but these days, I rarely ever saw him, much less spoke to him. Gin Ichimaru…my friend and ex-lover. I sighed. Slowing down slightly, I gazed at the gate to the headquarters, promising myself that I would go visit sometime before walking away again.

* * *

The second division headquarters were the most luxurious in Seireitei, thanks to Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda. I wasn't particularly fond of the man myself, but I did have to admit, he had good taste. I had even heard they were digging a hot spring in the training room under the offices. I walked into the headquarters, the door automatically closing behind me. This made me slightly uncomfortable, feeling as though I had been locked in, but I ignored the feeling and walked into Captain Suì-Fēng's office. She looked up as I set the paperwork on her desk. "These are from my captain," I told her.

Suì-Fēng nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I didn't have anything else to say, so I turned to leave, the door opening as I approached it. _It would be quite useful if a person had their hands full_, I thought to myself_. But other than that, it seems pretty useless to me. _I shrugged to myself and left.

* * *

Captain-commander Yamamoto seemed to be dozing when I walked into his office. I carefully placed the papers on his desk, making sure the pages didn't rustle as I set them down. As I started walking away, he spoke. "Koreyoshi-san."

"Ah…yes?" I turned to face the aged man.

He gestured to a chair in front of his desk, motioning for me to sit down. "Please sit down. Make yourself comfortable. These papers are from your division?"

"Thank you, Captain-commander." I sat down in the offered chair, then answered his question. "Yes. Captain Hitsugaya had me deliver them to your division."

"I see. How have you been doing?" He asked.

I was surprised by the question. Genryuusai was not a man for idle chit-chat. He was usually quite blunt and got straight to the point. "I'm doing well, you?"

"I am fine, thank you." He paused fractionally, then said, "You remember our last conversation, Koreyoshi-san?"

I hid a smile. There was the true Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto I knew. "Yes, I do." Our last conversation had consisted of him offering me a captain position, with me refusing adamantly.

"Have you reconsidered?"

I sighed. "No, Captain-commander. I do not wish to take on such a large role. And there are no positions open at the moment, so I don't see how I would become a captain, even if I did want to." This was a point I had brought up many times, and he had yet to explain it.

The Captain-commander sighed. "If a position were to open up, would you take it?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry. The position is not one I am suited for."

"Many have found that it does."

"But I don't." I stood up. "It is getting late, Captain-commander. You should get some rest."

The old man gave me a curt nod. "Yes. You are dismissed, Koreyoshi-san. But think about my request."

"All right. Good night, Captain-commander." I left the first division headquarters.

* * *

Talking to Captain-commander Yamamoto always made me slightly irritable. Every time I mentioned Captain Hitsugaya, I knew what was running through his mind. _You could be a captain too_, that's what his eyes said. I didn't want the position though. Being an officer didn't interest me, and besides, I was perfectly happy as Toshiro's third seat. _All that potential is going to waste,_ Captain-commander had said when he summoned me to him. It had only been seven years after I graduated the Shinigami Academy and about a week after I had achieved Bankai. I knew it was rare to achieve it in so short a time period, but I hadn't cared for leadership at the time. I still didn't. Maybe I was being selfish, but I didn't think so. Besides, the captains were fine as they were, and I didn't want to take any of their positions.

Walking out of the first division, I headed down the street, not using shunpo. The night sky was dotted with stars, and the moon was bright in the sky. I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. It was only about ten o'clock, and I was in no hurry to get home. The cool breezes had refreshed me considerably; sleep was no longer on my mind. Pulling the purple ribbon out of my hair, I shook my dark tresses loose. Much better.

* * *

I had just passed the third division headquarters when I felt the overwhelming sensation that somebody was watching me. Their reiatsu was slightly familiar, but not immediately identifiable. I whirled around, scanning the seemingly deserted street. Nobody was there. Wait…someone was approaching. I saw the silver hair and foxy grin, recognizing him immediately. A smile spread across my face as he stopped in front of me. "Gi―! Er, I mean, hello, Captain Ichimaru."

"Nikita Koreyoshi! What a pleasant surprise!" Gin exclaimed cheerfully, as if we had just seen each other yesterday, instead of forty years ago. Still, it felt incredibly good just being able to look into his face again, smiling as always.

"I was just planning on visiting you, Captain Ichimaru," I told him with a laugh. "Your timing is perfect."

"So formal," Gin sighed. "Just 'Gin' will be fine."

"All right, Gin-kun it is then." We were falling right back into our easygoing friendship, before our relationship had started. I was glad. _You always were a good friend to me. _

"Are you headin' home?" He began walking with me down the street.

"Yeah. I just got off of work."

"Ah. Is the Captain of the tenth division overworkin' you already?" His smile was mischievous as he turned to look at me.

"Of course not! It's only been this once. Although I was annoyed at the time," I admitted.

"Maybe you should switch divisions," Gin suggested.

"What?" I asked, slightly surprised. "No! I would never! Besides, whose division would I even go to?"

"Mine, of course. I would take you." Gin's grin widened.

"Um…no thank you," I told him.

"Oh no! I'm rather hurt!" He smile wavered.

I gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Gin-kun. No offense to the third division whatsoever."

"None taken. I was just kiddin' around."

"Like usual," I told him. "You haven't changed at all. Well, except you've gotten taller." I looked up at him. He was probably a good nine or ten inches taller than I was.

"Of course I have. I'm a captain, after all. Captains are the biggest, strongest…" He stopped. "Except the captain of the tenth division, of course."

"Hey," I laughed. "Quit insulting my captain. Pick on someone your own size."

"My own size?" Gin sighed. "Now that's no fun."

* * *

The walk home passed quickly with Gin by my side. Before I even realized it, we were walking through the tenth division towards the house Rangiku and I shared. He walked me to the front door, examining the house as he did. "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks. Ran-chan and I try to keep it clean. Doesn't always work though."

He smiled. "Well, I'd best be headin' back to my division. See you, Nikita."

"Bye, Gin-kun." I walked into the house, up to my bedroom, smiling all the way. _I've missed you, Gin-kun. I still remember the last time we spoke. It was such a long time ago. And I've been adjusting to life without you. But now, suddenly you return. _It really was strange for him to return now, after forty years. Why now?

* * *

_I woke up early that fateful morning, Gin still asleep by my side. He looked so peaceful, his eyes closed, silver hair falling into his face. I smiled softly, crawling out of bed carefully so I wouldn't wake him. Walking over to the bathroom, I decided to take a shower before heading back to the fourth division headquarters. Stepping into the bathtub, I let the warm water flow down my body. It was a soothing feeling, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth. Then I tilted my head back, starting to wash my hair. _

_Fifteen minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around me. Gin was still asleep in the bed, breathing softly. I walked to the edge of the bed where my clothes were, having been scattered there last night. Picking up the pieces of my Shihakusho, I got dressed and walked to the door where my waraji were. Putting them on, I whispered, "Bye, Gin. See you later," and walked out the door. _

_xxx_

_"Good morning, Captain Unohana," I greeted the woman at her desk. _

_"Good morning, Nikita-chan. How are you doing?" _

_"I'm good. And you?"_

_"I'm doing well, thank you. Someone is here to see you, by the way." She got up from her desk, walking towards a doorway, gesturing for me to follow. I obliged, and we walked down the hallway until we reached an open door. "Go on in, Nikita-chan," Retsu told me. I walked in, and was surprised to see the Gotei 13's newest and youngest captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya, sitting on the futon in the room. Rangiku was sitting next to him, a huge smile on her face._

_"Nikita!" She sang happily. _

_"Hi, Ran-chan. What're you doing here?" _

_She grinned. "Captain Hitsugaya will tell you." _

_The white-haired captain looked at me. "Hello, Koreyoshi." _

_"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya," I said, giving him a slight bow._

_"Do you know why we are here?" He asked me. I shook my head. "Well, you're my third seat now," he said bluntly. _

_I stared at him. "…what?" _

_He sighed. "You're my third seat. You're now a member of the tenth division, under Rangiku and me. I've already discussed it with Captain Unohana of course, and she approves." _

_I turned to look at my former captain, shocked and confused. "Captain Unohana? Why?" I asked. _

_She gave me a soft smile. "Captain Hitsugaya is just starting out, and he needed good officers. I thought you'd be happy being promoted from a fifth seat to a third seat." _

_"I am happy. Really, I am. But…I'm going to miss you," I could feel tears in my eyes. _

_The older woman began tearing up too. "I'll miss you too, Nikita-chan. You've been like a daughter to me." _

_"And you've been like my mother," I told her, a tear spilling down my cheek. _

_Toshiro gave an awkward cough. "Ahem, we'll let you have some privacy then." He and Rangiku walked out. Retsu smiled at me, wiping her eyes. _

_"Be strong, Nikita. The tenth division is a good division. And you're close to Matsumoto-san, correct?" I nodded. "And Captain Hitsugaya is a very good captain. He'll be good to you." _

_I nodded again. "I know." _

_Retsu reached into her pocket, pulling out a little white box. "Here. It's for you." _

_I took it shakily. "You shouldn't have, Captain." _

_"Ah," she said, smiling. "But I wanted to." _

_I opened it, seeing a deep purple ribbon rolled up inside it. There were tiny black flowery designs on it, barely noticeable. It was lovely. "Captain Unohana, I…I love it. It's so beautiful. Thank you." _

_"You're welcome. I thought it would suit you; it matches your eyes." _

_"I didn't get you anything…" I murmured, still admiring the ribbon. _

_"You don't have to. All I need is to know that you're happy." _

_I smiled, throwing my arms around Retsu, hugging her tight. "I'll miss you, Captain Unohana. I'll come back to visit, I promise." _

_"Goodbye, Nikita-chan. Come back often." _

_xxx_

_I walked out into the hallway, where Toshiro and Rangiku were leaning against the wall, waiting for me. All my tears had been wiped away and I had come to accept the fact that I was in the tenth division. Now that the initial shock was over, it was actually an exciting prospect. "So, I'm your subordinate now, huh, Ran-chan?" _

_She grinned. "Weird, isn't it?" _

_"Too weird," I agreed. _

_Toshiro started to walk down the hall, saying, "Come on, Rangiku. We have to get back to headquarters." _

_"Hang on," I said. "Am I still living in the fourth division?" _

_"No," Rangiku answered me. "You're going to live with me! We'll be roommates, just like we were back in Rukongai!" _

_I laughed. "Yeah. But the living arrangements are slightly better now, aren't they? And Gin won't be there." _

_"True. But we can do without him, right?" She grinned at me. _

_"We sure can!" I responded with a grin. "After all, he's going to be busy with his captain duties now, so we won't see much of him." This thought saddened me. Would I ever see Gin anymore? _

_Rangiku sensed my sadness and gently patted me on the back. "You still have a couple days to pack. You'll officially be part of the tenth division in another two days. Don't worry." _

_I nodded. "Okay." _

_xxx_

_I walked into the third division headquarters, headed by Gin. My silver-haired lover was sitting at his desk when I walked in, a pile of paperwork already in front of him. "Captain Ichimaru," I said. He looked up, a smile spreading across his face when he saw me. _

_"Hello, Nikita." _

_"Hey." I perched on the edge of his desk, looking down at him. _

_"Somethin' wrong?" He asked as he walked around to my side of the desk, putting an arm around me. _

_"Um…" I hesitated, not sure how to tell him what had happened. "I have news. I just found out this morning. I'm…I'm in the tenth division now. Toshiro Hitsugaya's third seat." _

_Gin was silent. Then he said, "Well, you got promoted! Congratulations, Nikita." _

_"Thanks. But I'm going to be so far away. How are we going to make this work?" _

_Gin smiled at me. "Ain't no point in worryin' about it so much, now is there?" _

_I shrugged. "I suppose." In my head, I thought to myself, _Does he care about me at all? He doesn't seem particularly bothered by the fact that I'll be on the other side of Seireitei from now on. _"Well, I have to pack up and move to Ran-chan's. I have two days." _

_"That's two days we can spend together, ain't it?"_

_"Yeah." I smiled up at him. "Yeah, it is." _

_xxx_

_It was moving day. I had packed up everything I owned into two large bags and placed them at the door. Gin was sitting on the front step, not saying a word as he watched me check off my belongings. "Let's see, I have that…no, I gave that to Isane-chan as a present…" _

_"Nikita," he interrupted. _

_"Hmm?" I looked at him curiously. "Something wrong, Gin?" _

_"I've been thinkin'," he said. _

_"About…?" _

_"Us." _

_I stiffened. The last two days had been slightly awkward. Gin had always seemed too busy with his captain duties to spend time with me during the day, and at night, he had always seemed distracted. _

_"What's wrong, Gin?" _

_"I think…we should stop seein' each other." He didn't meet my eyes. _

_"…oh." I lowered my head as tears sprang to my eyes, my loose hair covering my face. _

_"It's just the distance, Nikita. Everythin' will be more difficult. Seein' each other."_

_I was trying not to cry. "I suppose it might be for the best," I forced my voice to stay steady._

_Gin tried to grin. "Don't look so gloomy, Nikita. We're still friends, right?" _

_"Yeah. Of course." The tears were threatening to spill over. _

_His arms wrapped around me, pulling me to him. "Nikita…" His voice was low, husky with emotion. I looked up into his open blue eyes, hoping he would take back his words, hoping he would say, 'just kiddin'!' in that way he did so often and grin that infamous grin of his. He didn't though. Instead, he just whispered, "Sorry," and let me go. _

* * *

I sighed sadly. We hadn't ended things on a very good note. But now Gin was back. I still didn't know why he decided to come back now, of all times, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy about his return. _Gin-kun, _I thought. _Will you stay in my life for good this time around? _

* * *

Gin collapsed onto his bed, thoughts turning in his brain. Nikita had been happy to see him, that much he could tell. He knew he shouldn't have returned to her though. Their time was almost up…He sighed, gazing out his window toward the direction of the tenth division, where he had dropped Nikita off just a while ago. She was sure to be sleeping by now. This thought inevitably brought back memories of nights he had spent together with her, including their last night together. It had been forty years ago. _Too long, _Gin thought. He wondered if she had been with anyone else in that time period. She probably had, she was a beautiful girl, kind-hearted and loving. Unlike himself. The silver-haired man sighed again, rolling over on his bed. He didn't know what had compelled him to confront Nikita tonight. It had been a bad idea. Their plans were already laid out. Now they just had to act. He knew what he had to do, but…Gin wanted to kick himself. What had he been thinking, returning to her life all of a sudden, when he knew he would be leaving soon afterward? What would she do when he left for good?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Ran-chan!" I sang cheerfully, plopping down on her bed beside her sleeping form. "Wakey-wakey! We have to go to work!"

"Unhh…" Rangiku groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, not even bothering to open her eyes. "It's too early, go back to sleep."

"It's eight o'clock already, Ran," I told her, prodding her shoulder. The strawberry-blonde just groaned again. "Come on, Ran. We have to go, hangover or not."

Grumbling, Rangiku crawled out of bed, blinking at the sunlight coming in the open window. She stumbled over to the bathroom, almost falling over in the process. "You're really not a morning person, Ran-chan," I told her, grinning.

"Shaddup," was the reply. Laughing, I headed into the kitchen to start breakfast. I knew she would take at least an hour in the bathroom. Setting two bowls of rice on the table, I reflected upon last night. Did Rangiku see me with Gin? She would be happy to know that we were on good terms. I decided to tell her over breakfast.

* * *

I was right; Rangiku was in the bathroom for about an hour before she walked in, her hair damp from the shower. "Hey." She sat down across from me and began eating her rice.

"Hey." I began eating as well. "So, you know how Shiro-chan had me stay late last night?"

"Yeah, I was wondering about that. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing interesting really…" I said vaguely, suppressing a smile.

"Please don't tell me that there's something going on between you and our Captain," Rangiku pleaded, looking worried.

"What? No! That's not it at all!" I started laughing. "You have a crazy imagination, Ran."

She laughed too, looking relieved. "Well, good. Captain Hitsugaya's a good guy, but that doesn't mean I want you to date him!"

"Yeah. Speaking of dating, I ran into an old boyfriend last night." I grinned at her.

"Old boyfriend? But Nikita, you've only had…you saw Gin last night?"

I nodded, still grinning.

"How'd it go? Are you guys…okay?"

"It went fine. Same old Gin, joking as always." I paused. "And yeah, we're okay. I mean, we're not dating or anything, but…" I shrugged. "We're still friends."

Rangiku went back to her rice. "Well that's good."

"Yeah…" I said quietly.

She looked up, her eyes flashing with understanding. "Do you still love him, Nikita?"

She knew me way too well. "…I don't know."

The strawberry-blonde raised her eyebrow at me.

I sighed, and then admitted, "Yes."

"I thought so," she said. "Does he know?"

I thought back to last night, how happy I had been to see him and how those emotions clearly showed on my face. "I have no idea. Well, I don't see how he couldn't know, I mean, we were together for years, but…" I stopped and shrugged. "I don't know."

"Did you guys mention_ it_ at all?"

I knew what '_it_' was. Our breakup. How awkwardly we had ended things forty years ago. I could remember how miserable I had been, sinking into a depression that lasted for weeks. Then I had slowly come back, starting to smile again, starting to joke around again. Rangiku had been so worried about me over that time period, as were the rest of my friends: Shuuhei, Renji, Izuru, Isane, Retsu, Momo, Toshiro, and so many more. I would be forever grateful to them, seeing as I probably wouldn't have gotten through it without them. "No," I answered. "But that's fine with me."

"So you're still friends with him." She finished her rice, wiping her lips with a napkin.

"Yeah."

"And is it going to stay that way? Or…" She trailed off, then gave me a suggestive wink.

I grinned at her. "Well, I guess we'll see, won't we?"

* * *

Toshiro was already in his office when Rangiku and I walked in. "Good morning, Shiro-chan," I greeted him happily.

"Captain Hitsugaya," he corrected, not even looking up.

I ignored his reply, sitting down on the futon in his office. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"Captain-commander Yamamoto has requested your presence at the first division training grounds." He turned to Rangiku, shoving a pile of papers at her. "These are yours, Matsumoto. Get to work." Rangiku walked off, grumbling under her breath.

"Hang on a second. Captain-commander wants me to train with him?" I stared at my captain, taken aback. "Why?"

Toshiro shrugged. "Why would I know? But you'd better get on down there, he's waiting."

* * *

"Good morning, Captain-commander," I greeted the old man waiting for me, bowing slightly.

"Good morning, Koreyoshi-san," he replied, then lead me to a set of double doors. A kanji 'one' was emblazoned on them, and I realized that they must lead to Captain-commander's private training room.

Opening them, he allowed me to walk inside before following. We walked down a short flight of stairs before coming out in a massive desert. The blue sky stretched on for miles, as did the sandy ground beneath it. I had to admit, I was awestruck. It was such a beautiful place. And to think that he, Captain-commander of the Gotei 13, was allowing me inside his private training room… I stared at him, wide-eyed.

Genryuusai chuckled at my facial expression, then asked, "Do you remember our training sessions while you were in the Academy?"

I nodded. It had been an honor to train with the man who had founded the Shinigami Academy, the man who had trained two of the current captains in Gotei 13: Shunsui Kyoraku and Juushiro Ukitake. They also happened to be two of the most powerful captains.

"Well, your training isn't over yet."

I looked at him, surprised. "But, Captain-commander, I can control my full power now. You even said so at our last training session…that's why you allowed me to graduate."

"Indeed. But it has been a while since we have sparred, has it not? And I wish to test your Bankai, if that's all right with you." He peeled the wood off of his staff, revealing his zanpakuto, Ryuujin Jakka.

I knew he wasn't really offering me a choice in the matter, so I sighed and drew Senreienko. "Consume, Senreienko!" My blade flamed up instantly.

The Captain-commander didn't hesitate. "Reduce all creation to ash, Ryuujin Jakka!" I staggered back as his spiritual pressure flared outward, his zanpakuto becoming engulfed in flames as well. He was just as powerful as I remembered. Maybe even more so. I remembered what the man had requested and decided to go all out straight away. It was the only way I could actually have the slightest chance against the older Shinigami. Even so, I knew I was headed toward imminent defeat. It was going to be a long, exhausting duel.

Gulping, I looked back at Captain-commander, his Ryuujin Jakka spitting flames, bright sparks flying from his blade threateningly. My voice came out in a whisper when I finally spoke, and I wished that I didn't sound so pathetic. "Bankai."

* * *

"You did well," Genryuusai said, Ryuujin Jakka once again becoming an innocent-looking cane.

"Thank you, Captain-commander," I said, sheathing Senreienko. "It was an honor to train with you again." I decided to stay polite, even though I was sure that he was lying through his teeth. The spar had been an epic failure on my part, lasting all of five minutes before I gave out under his immense power. I didn't know why he even bothered with the impromptu training session.

"Please. It was my pleasure." The aging Shinigami waved his hand. "You're dismissed now, Koreyoshi-san. I'm sure Captain Hitsugaya needs you back." I prepared myself for another speech about becoming a captain at the mention of Toshiro, but it never came. Instead he just said, "Perhaps you will join my division for tea this week?"

I nodded, remembering the man's monthly tea parties. "All right. Goodbye, Captain-commander." I gave him a bow.

"Goodbye, Koreyoshi-san."

I left the training ground, relieved to be finished with the arduous training session.

* * *

I collapsed onto the futon in Toshiro's office, completely exhausted. The combination of exerting myself in Bankai mode and using shunpo on the way back had drained me. My captain looked over at me, looking concerned. "Are you all right, Koreyoshi?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Was the training really that hard?" He sounded skeptical now.

"You've never trained with Captain-commander, Shiro-chan."

He shrugged. "True enough. And it's 'Captain Hitsugaya'." I rolled over onto my stomach, burying my face into the soft mattress, ignoring the correction. When he saw that I wasn't moving, he asked, "Are you going to start working anytime soon?"

I didn't get up. "Probably not."

I had been teasing, of course, but he didn't seem to think so. "Koreyoshi, you'll have time to rest later. You still have to file the paperwork you didn't finish yesterday."

"Fine," I said, finally getting off of the futon. Filing wasn't too bad. It didn't require much movement, other than walking between file cabinets. It was really easy too. I figured I would be done within the hour.

* * *

I was wrong; the filing took close to two hours. Finally finished, I drew in a deep breath. "All done, Captain!" I called cheerfully, actually using his title. "Am I finished for the day?" I walked into Toshiro's office and stopped, surprised to find him asleep at his desk. Walking up to him, I gently prodded his shoulder. He didn't even stir. I smiled to myself. He really was dead to the world, his face relaxed. The young captain was usually so serious and mature; it was nice seeing him loosen up a little. He hadn't even finished his work; I wondered what could've tired him out so much. Quietly, I lifted up his head, just enough so that I could pull the papers out from underneath. Then I took a pillow from the futon, propping his head up on it. Flipping through the papers, I took out the ones that I could complete and set them on Rangiku's empty desk. The strawberry-blonde was nowhere to be found; I assumed she had finished for the day and left, probably to go drinking. The papers that required a captain's signature, I placed neatly on Toshiro's desk, next to his sleeping form. He would get to them later. For now, I decided to let him sleep. Sitting down at Rangiku's desk, I silently began working on the papers.

It was close to dinnertime when I finished reading and signing the last of the papers. Stretching, I walked over to the still-sleeping Toshiro and placed the completed papers on his desk. I left a note on top of the pile, telling him that I had left for the day. As I turned to walk out, my stomach growled, reminding me that I had not eaten since breakfast. Stepping outside, I turned toward home, mentally going over what foods Rangiku and I still had in the kitchen. _There's still some leftover rice from this morning, and there's some fish too…maybe I can make soup? _My thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar silky voice. "Nikita."

I turned around. "Hey, Gin-kun!"

His ever-present smile widened. "You done with work?"

"Yeah, I am. Well, at least I think I am. My captain fell asleep, so I'm actually not too sure." I stopped, grinning at how ridiculous it all sounded. It didn't sound like Captain Hitsugaya at all.

"Captain of the tenth, sleepin' on the job? Sounds like somethin' I should try doin'." Gin grinned mischievously. "Think Izuru would like that?"

"Probably not," I told him. "Although it would be rather amusing," I added honestly. Izuru was a serious man, unlike his captain.

"I think I'll try it tomorrow," Gin decided.

I laughed. "Izuru-kun's probably used to your antics by now, Gin-kun. Besides, he's so dedicated, he'd probably finish all your work for you anyway."

Gin smiled at this. "Well, that would be kind of him." He suddenly took my hand in his, fingers lacing with mine. I stiffened slightly, looking down at our entwined hands. This was not something I had expected at all. Not that I wasn't enjoying it. The silver-haired captain loosened his grip, seeing my reaction, but I held on, keeping my hand in his. His smile widened.

"So, Gin-kun," I said, enjoying how his cool hand was wrapped around mine. "What are you doing here in the tenth division?"

"Lookin' for you. I figured you'd be done with work about now. And since it's 'bout dinnertime, want to have dinner with me?"

"Sure. I'm starved," I replied, forcing myself to stay calm, even though my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest. Was he trying to get back together? "Where are we going?"

"Back to the third division," was the reply. My heart began thumping even faster. I thought for sure Gin would be able to hear it. I hadn't been to the third division since I had joined the tenth division, and the prospect was nerve-wracking. Toshiro had always avoided sending me there to deliver paperwork, and I was sure it was because Rangiku had told him about Gin and our past relationship. Forcing myself to breathe normally, I looked up at Gin.

"Sounds good."

* * *

We walked into the third division headquarters, and my head instantly flooded with memories. Days and nights we had spent together, laughing, talking, and more. I felt my face heat up as he led me straight to his quarters. Opening the door, he gestured for me to go in. I hesitated, then complied.

The room hadn't changed at all. The furniture, the bathroom, and all the little details of the room were as familiar to me as the back of my hand. The large bed to my right I knew _very_ well, and could feel myself blushing even more as I remembered exactly what we had done on that bed. Gin gave me a puzzled look, then grinned slyly as he followed my gaze to the bed. I looked away quickly, towards the table and two chairs in the corner. Gin and I had shared many meals there, and now there were plates and bowls of steaming food set on it. It smelled delicious.

We sat down to eat immediately, since both of us were ravenous. Everything tasted absolutely wonderful, and the fact that I was sharing it with Gin made it even better. "So, Gin-kun, what have you been up to? It's been a while since I saw you last," I said, swallowing the mouthful of fish I had just put in my mouth.

"Did you miss me that much, Nikita? I just saw you last night." Gin teased.

I grinned. "You know what I mean." In my head, I thought, _those forty years we were separated. Did you miss me as much as I missed you? Did you know about my depressed state for those first weeks? Did you care? _I looked up as Gin started speaking again, answering my question.

"Nothin' really. It's been pretty borin' around the third division. All this captain work sure is tirin'." He leaned back in his chair, his eyes opening to slits. "What about you? Anythin' interestin' I should know about?"

I shrugged. "Nothing really. I trained with Captain-commander this morning. He's still ridiculously powerful."

"That's why he's the Captain-commander of the Gotei 13, ain't it?"

"Yeah."

He picked up an onigiri and took a bite. I continued eating my rice.

The rest of the meal passed peacefully, in happy companionship. Gin had always been so easy to talk to, at least, for me. Most people seemed to find him creepy and tried to avoid him at all costs, but I had always enjoyed his company. The silver-haired man had been my first friend, and always would be. He had saved my life when we were young, after all. It was because of him that I was still alive today.

* * *

_I was utterly and completely lost. Looking around, all I saw were deserted streets and unfamiliar buildings. And white. Snow covered everything, the sun reflecting off the ice crystals, blinding me. I blinked, my head swimming as I fought to stay awake. It was a losing battle. Staggering, I could feel my body giving up. _No! Stay awake! _I told myself sternly. _Shelter, I need shelter…_I stumbled, almost falling on my face. _No! Don't fall over now! _I thought to myself anxiously. But my body refused to listen. I fell forward, whiteness rushing to greet me in its cold embrace. _

_xxx_

_It was cold. That was the first thing Gin thought when he walked outside. Cold and wet. The young silver-haired boy wanted to run back into the little shack he shared with Rangiku and huddle inside, avoiding the chilly wetness. But he knew he couldn't. Steeling himself, Gin continued walking, heading down the street in search of food. A single dried persimmon was in his pocket, being saved for an emergency. They had been short on food for days now, down to their last bits of rice and a couple jars of dried persimmons. It was definitely not a good situation, especially in the middle of winter. _

_The streets were deserted, everything covered in the glistening snow. It would've been beautiful, it wasn't so cold. Gin sighed as he began heading down the snowy lane, his footsteps leaving imprints in the unbroken whiteness. As he rounded a corner, he saw a dark smudge on the side of the road. Curious, he started walking toward it. _What was that? _Upon getting closer, he realized that it was a person. A kid, actually. The silver-haired boy started running, concerned. _Were they okay? _He stopped next to the collapsed figure. It was a girl, about his age, her black hair fanned out on the snow like spilled ink. Her eyes were closed. Gin bent down, checking for a heartbeat. He sighed in relief as he felt the feeble pulse in her neck. She was alive. Now he just had to wake her up and get her out of the cold. "Hey there." The boy prodded her shoulder gently. He didn't really know what else to say to an unconscious girl, so he continued nudging her for a minute. She didn't even stir. Gin picked up her petite frame and draped her over one shoulder. Good thing she was so small, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to do it. He headed back home, painfully aware of how icy her thin body felt. _

_xxx_

_"Who's that?" Rangiku asked when Gin walked in, the dark-haired girl over his shoulder. _

_"Don't know. I found her in the street." The silver-haired boy set her down on the straw mat he and Rangiku slept on at night. _

_"She's freezing!" The strawberry-blonde exclaimed, feeling her face. Quickly, she grabbed all the blankets they had and wrapped the mysterious girl in them. "Do you think she'll be okay?" _

_"Don't know," Gin said again, picking up some kindling from a corner of the room. "I'm buildin' a fire. It'll warm the place up." _

_The young boy had a fire going within minutes, and he and Rangiku gladly warmed themselves by it. Gin melted some snow in a bowl and splashed it on the girl's face in an attempt to wake her, and to his relief, she began to stir. Blinking, the girl tried to sit up, brushing dark hair out of her eyes."Who're you guys?" She asked, looking from Gin to Rangiku._

_"I'm Gin Ichimaru. Nice to meet you." He smiled at her. _

_"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto," the strawberry-blonde girl said, offering her a bowl of rice. "Are you hungry?" _

_From the way the girl stared at the bowl in her hand, it was obvious that she was. Grabbing it, she scooped some up with her hand, not even bothering to use the chopsticks Gin handed her. The silver-haired boy had to smile as he watched the young girl devour the rice. "So what's your name?"_

_The girl stopped eating for a moment. "Oh. Sorry. Nikita Koreyoshi, nice to meet you both." She looked down at the bowl only to find that it was empty. Setting it down, she looked back up at Gin. "Thanks for the food." _

_"You're welcome." _

_"Do you feel better?" Rangiku asked, coming to sit next to Nikita. _

_"Yeah. I feel a lot better, actually." _

_"So where do you come from?" Gin asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. He was curious as to why she had been unconscious in the middle of the street, even though it wasn't a rare occurrence in the Sixty-fourth district of Rukongai. _

_Nikita didn't speak for a moment. Then she said, hesitantly, "I'm from the Seventieth district. I ran away. It was awful there." _

_Gin thought she wasn't going to go into detail, but was surprised when she continued. _

_"My grandfather lived with me until I was four. Then he died. I don't know how. I just found him lying there…" She hesitated, and then continued. "I tried to live on my own for a while, but some kids took over my house. They kicked me out, so I ran away. Now I'm here." _

_"That's awful, Nikita-chan," Rangiku said sympathetically, taking her hand. Nikita smiled at her. _

_"Yeah. That's really bad," Gin agreed. He stood up and grabbed a jar of dried persimmons. "Want some?" _

_Nikita's eyes lit up at the sight of food. "Yes, please!" _

_Gin unscrewed the lid, handing her the whole jar. Nikita gave him a grateful smile, then dug in. _

_xxx_

_I never knew that dried persimmons were so good. They were totally new to me, and I decided I liked them seconds after my first bite. The silver-haired boy, Gin, watched me with an amused expression. "That hungry, huh?" _

_"Mmm…yeah," I replied. After a few more, my appetite was finally sated. Setting the half-empty jar down, I started to stand up, preparing to leave. _

_Gin seemed to have read my mind. "You're stayin' with us, 'Kita-chan. I ain't about to let you go out all alone, and especially in the winter. It's freezin' out there." _

_"I…but…you're already low on food…" I protested. "I'll be okay." _

_Gin didn't look convinced. "You call passin' out in the street okay?" _

_I didn't know how to reply to that, so I stayed silent. _

_"Besides, we've still got food right now, don't we? And you can always help us find more." He put a hand on my shoulder, gently forcing me back down to the ground. "I ain't lettin' you leave, 'Kita-chan. We at least got to make sure you ain't got frostbite from layin' in all that snow." _

_Rangiku gasped slightly. "Right! You might freeze! And your fingers might fall off!" _

_My eyes widened at that, and I quickly flexed my fingers, testing them. "I…I feel fine though." It was true. My fingers felt perfectly normal; they weren't even cold anymore. _

_Rangiku grabbed my hand, a look of relief crossing her features as she felt my body heat. "You're so warm now, but you were so cold when Gin carried you in…I don't get it." _

_I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just lucky?" _

_The strawberry-blonde laughed. "Maybe you are." _

_Gin stood up abruptly, walking out the door into the cold. I stared after him, surprised by his sudden departure. "Gin-kun?" He didn't hear me though, and the door shut behind him. I turned to Rangiku. "Where's he going?" _

_She sighed. "That's Gin for you. He always does that, leaving without any warning. You'd better get used to it." _

_I stared after the mysterious silver-haired boy. _What a weird kid…

* * *

Gin stood up from his position on the futon. "It's gettin' late, ain't it, Nikita? You should be gettin' home."

I sighed and got up. "Yeah, I guess I should." We had just spent the last three hours talking about what had happened in our forty years apart, and it was now nearing midnight.

"I'll walk you back," Gin said, taking my hand and leading me out of his quarters.

* * *

The streets were deserted, the night cool. Stars shone brightly in the sky, and the moon was a quarter full. Walking with my fox-faced friend by my side, I couldn't have been happier. Looking up at him, I watched his silver hair gleam in the moonlight. He caught me staring and grinned.

"Somethin' wrong, 'Kita-chan? Is there somethin' on my face?"

I smiled at the childhood nickname. "No, there isn't. I'm just glad to be with you," I admitted with a small smile.

Gin smirked. "Oh? I see…"

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. "Shut up, Gin-kun."

He chuckled and slid an arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. I stiffened slightly in surprise, then relaxed, snuggling closer to his warm body.

Just like the day before, the walk home was too fast. I walked up to the front door and looked at Gin. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Yep, you will." His arm was still around my waist.

I smiled and looked pointedly at his arm. "Bye, Gin-kun."

"Bye bye, 'Kita-chan," was the reply. He let go of me, his smile in place.

I waved as he flash-stepped away. Then I walked into the house, shutting the door behind me.

* * *

A/N: So yeah. These first couple chapters are going to have a lot of flashbacks and jumping around. That's just how it came out, and I'm sorry if that's confusing or anything.

Anyways, Happy Holidays everyone!

Bye-bye~!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Toshiro was sitting at his desk when Rangiku and I walked into the tenth division headquarters the next morning. There was a very minimal amount of paperwork in front of him, which was surprising.

"Good morning, Shiro-chan," I greeted him.

"Morning, Captain!" Rangiku said cheerfully from beside me.

"Go away," he muttered, not looking up.

"Is someone a little crabby, Captain?" Rangiku grinned and walked up to Toshiro, pinching his cheeks. The white-haired boy slapped her hands away.

"Don't touch me!"

Rangiku giggled. "No need to be so uptight all the time. You'll get wrinkles."

I laughed. Toshiro glared at us. Then, taking a deep breath, he said, "Take the day off, you two. There isn't much to do."

The strawberry-blonde whooped. "Thanks, Captain!" Turning to me, she exclaimed, "Want to go get some sake?" Toshiro rolled his eyes behind her back.

I shook my head. "Nah, I think I'm going to visit Renji-kun. Sorry, Ran-chan."

Rangiku pouted. "Fine. I'll go find Shuuhei and see if he wants to go! And Captain Kyoraku!" She skipped off.

I watched her leave, and then turned back to my captain. "Bye, Shiro-chan. See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

I turned and left the headquarters.

* * *

"Lieutenant Abarai!" I said, sneaking up behind Renji, who was sitting in his office. He turned and glanced at me, not looking at all surprised.

"Hey, Nikita."

I sighed. "You felt my reiatsu, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," he grinned. "You still need some work on concealing it."

"I have been working on it," I grumbled. "Oh well. How are you, Renji-kun?"

"I'm all right. But I'm worried about Rukia; she really shouldn't be gone in the Human World for so long." He frowned, looking concerned.

I remembered that Rukia Kuchiki had been assigned to the Human World a couple of weeks ago. It really had been a while. And she had always been one of Renji's friends; I could understand his anxiety, even though I wasn't particularly close to the girl myself. "I'm sure she's fine," I said, trying to reassure the crimson-haired man. "She's always been able to take care of herself."

"Yeah, you're right," Renji replied, sighing. "But I wonder what she's doing right now?"

"I don't know. But you can ask her once she gets back, right?"

He grinned at me. "Yeah." He looked as if he were about to say something else when Shuuhei Hisagi suddenly walked in.

"Renji, I need…" he began. Then he saw me. "Oh. Hey, Nikita."

"Hey, Shuuhei-kun," I replied, smiling warmly at him.

He smiled back, and then turned back to Renji. "Anyway, Captain Tosen needs your input on this report about the divisions. I figured you would know, since you've been in three different divisions."

Renji shuddered slightly. "Don't remind me."

I laughed. Shuuhei glanced at me. "Maybe you could help with our articles on the fourth and tenth divisions, Nikita?"

"Sure, Shuuhei-kun. I'd be glad to," I told him.

"All right, cool. Stop by later? I have to hurry back; Captain Tosen needs me for something." Shuuhei gave me an apologetic grin.

"Sure. I have the day off, so that's fine. Although Rangiku did say she was going to look for you. She has the day off too, so she's probably heading to some sake joint."

"A day off for both of you? That must be nice. I'll have to pass up the sake though," Shuuhei muttered with a wistful sigh. Then he smiled. "We should talk more often. I don't get to see you much, with all of our work."

"That shouldn't really be a problem. Your division is right next door, after all." Shuuhei had always been a good friend to me, and I missed talking to him.

Renji coughed, watching us pointedly. The spiky dark-haired man whirled around, as if just remembering he was there. "Sorry, Renji." He seemed to remember what he was here for and quickly said, "So here, you have to answer these questions. They're specified for your experience in each division." He handed Renji a sheet of paper. The crimson-haired man took it and groaned.

"More work, Shuuhei? Really?"

"Sorry, Renji. But we need this article." He turned and gave me a small smile. "So, I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah. I'll stop by around three, sound good?"

"Sounds great." He assured me. "I have to leave now. I'll see you later, Nikita. Bye, Renji."

Renji grunted, apparently still peeved about the extra work he had to do.

"See you, Shuuhei-kun," I called after his retreating back. He waved, and then disappeared around the corner.

Renji waggled his eyebrows at me teasingly. "Well he seems interested."

I sat down on a chair in the corner. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing," Renji replied nonchalantly.

I shrugged, slightly puzzled, but decided not to press him for an explanation. "Okay then."

The crimson-haired man leaned back in his chair, propping a foot on his desk. "So what's going on with you, Nikita?"

I shrugged again. "Nothing really." Hesitantly, I continued. "I had dinner with Captain Ichimaru last night." I figured I might as well tell Renji what was going on, since he knew everything else that had passed between me and Gin already. And by everything, I meant our breakup and separation too.

"You _what_?" Renji asked, standing up abruptly and knocking his chair over.

"Renji-kun, it's okay. Calm down." I had a feeling he would react like this.

"After all he's done to you, you can still have dinner with him? You can still talk to him after all these years? Aren't you mad at him?" Renji looked frustrated.

"No. Not anymore," I murmured quietly. "I've missed him, Renji-kun. I'm glad he invited me over for dinner. It was a lot of fun."

Renji sighed and shrugged, sitting back down. "Whatever, Nikita. If that's what you want, then fine. But take care of yourself. I don't want you to get hurt…" _again. _I knew that he wanted to say it, but was glad he refrained from actually saying it aloud. I smiled at him in what I hoped was a reassuring way.

"Don't worry, Renji-kun. I can take care of myself."

* * *

I strolled out of the sixth division headquarters, humming quietly to myself. Renji had to get back to his work, and I didn't want to disturb him. What should I do now? Maybe I should've gone drinking with Rangiku, but it was too late now. I wondered briefly whether or not I should pay a visit to Gin, then decided against it. He was probably busy. Izuru would probably be annoyed too, since my visits always ended up with him doing all of the paperwork while Gin kept me company. I smiled at the thought of silver-haired Shinigami, remembering our times together.

* * *

_Training sessions in the eleventh division often drew crowds, but this had to be one of the largest audiences I had ever seen. The current champion was Gin Ichimaru, third seat of the fifth division, who had been hailed as a child prodigy. It would be quite a feat to defeat him, and it seemed like everyone in Seireitei wanted to give it a try._

_I watched as my fox-faced friend dispatched his latest opponent, easily bringing the tip of his zanpakuto to the man's chest. The man knew he was done for once Shinso was pointed at him. He was a seated officer from the eleventh division, I knew, but he was so easily defeated. I was impressed with Gin's fighting ability at such a young age. He was absolutely lethal. _

_The silver-haired teenager lowered Shinso, looking around the circle of onlookers that had formed. "Anyone else?" The crowd was silent. I smiled slightly, casually loosening my blade from its sheath on my back. Nobody noticed. Then, as Gin turned around, I drew Senreienko, calling out, _

_"Think fast!" Gin whirled around, bringing his blade up to block mine. I smiled at him."Good block, Gin-kun." _

_He grinned at me, attacking with his zanpakuto. "Wasn't expectin' you to come out." _

_"Always expect the unexpected," I replied, countering his blade. Twisting away from his attack, I swung Senreienko in an arc, aiming for Gin's chest. He ducked, my zanpakuto barely missing his silver hair. Then he brought Shinso down, trying to cut my waist. I propelled myself up into the air, gathering reiryoku under my feet. Gin did the same thing, bringing him up to my height. _

_"Not bad, Nikita." _

_"Thanks. You're not bad yourself," I replied cheerfully, swinging Senreienko at his head. Gin leaned back, avoiding the blade, then leaped forward, Shinso pointed at me. I dove out of the way just in time, lowering myself back to the ground carefully and adopting a fighting stance. Gin landed seconds after me, Shinso lowered casually by his side. He was smiling. I smiled back, carefully watching his every move. He would attack again. I was right. Gin brought Shinso up, blade pointing at me. I spun away from the tip, diving forward toward him and slashing at his chest._

_"Shouldn't you release your Shikai, Nikita?" The silver-haired boy questioned as he dodged my attack. _

_I shrugged, easily avoiding his swinging blade. "Shouldn't you?" _

_He laughed, delighted. "If I do, I just might kill you." _

_"Well, what makes you think I'll let you do that?" _

_He smiled at me. "You asked for it." Raising his zanpakuto, he pointed it at me. "Shoot to kill, Shinso." The blade extended, as I knew it would, toward me. I barely got out of the way in time. _

_"Consume, Senreienko!" Flames flared out from my blade. Gin opened his eyes, still smiling. _

_"Well, that's a bit alarmin'." _

_I didn't reply, instead shooting some fire at Gin, not intended to actually hit him. He twisted away from the flames, extending Shinso again. I dodged the blade, my zanpakuto spewing more flames as I did. Gin twisted again, swinging the still-extended Shinso at me. I flung myself to the ground, then swung at Gin's feet. He sidestepped, bringing Shinso down towards my chest. I rolled away, standing back up. Gin laughed. _

_"You're good." _

_"Thanks. So are you." _

_"So, what do you say? Should we end this and call it a draw?" Gin retracted Shinso, putting it away. _

_"Sounds good to me." I sheathed Senreienko with a smile, heading back toward the edges of the circle. The crowd around us was cheering wildly, trying to convince us to continue the fight. I noticed Gin's captain, Sousuke Aizen standing toward the back, a small smile playing about his lips. I was about to greet him when I heard Gin's voice from behind me. _

_"Nikita." _

_I turned, flinching as I felt Shinso's blade at my throat. _

_"Never turn your back on an opponent," the silver-haired teen breathed in my ear. He was directly behind me now. _

_"Sneaky move, Gin-kun. But I thought we ended this?" I asked, trying to ignore the sword still at my neck. _

_Gin smiled, putting Shinso away. "We did." _

_"Then what―?" I was cut off by Gin bringing his lips to mine. His lips were warm and surprisingly gentle. I was shocked at first, but then wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer. His mouth curved upward into a smile, and I caught myself smiling as well. The crowd was roaring now, loving this display of affection from us. I broke away, laughing and slightly breathless. "Well, Gin-kun, that was unexpected." He wrapped his arms around me, the smile still on his face. _

_"It's like you said, Nikita. Always expect the unexpected." _

* * *

I smiled at the fond memory. That sparring session was what had started our relationship so long ago. Of course, that relationship hadn't worked out, but…I shook my head. _Stop thinking of depressing things. Think of the good times you had with him. _My smile broadened as more fond memories came to mind.

* * *

_The winter Gin found me was one of the longest winters I had ever experienced, never seeming to end. It finally did though, and spring came, covering the world in lush green grass and beautiful flowers. The weather became considerably warmer, and I found myself happier than I had ever been. Spring had always been my favorite season._

_I never thought that I would make such good friends in Rukongai, especially in such a dark, cruel district. How wrong I was. Rangiku's sunny attitude always helped me through hardships and Gin's smile instinctively made me smile too. _

_"How come you smile so much, Gin-kun?" I asked him while we were scavenging for food one day. Rangiku was back at the shack, making sure no one would take over while we were gone. _

_Gin just smiled wider. "Why not?" _

_I shrugged. "Are you happy all the time?" _

_It was Gin's turn to shrug. "Sure." _

_"That's not an answer, Gin-kun," I told him, picking up a strawberry._

_"So?" He grabbed another strawberry from the ground and changed the subject. "Where's all this fruit comin' from?" He looked up, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. _

_"I don't know. Maybe there's a strawberry plant nearby?" _

_"Yep. Look!" Gin pointed, and I saw a large tree standing by the side of the dilapidated road. We were in the outskirts of Rukongai, where nobody usually went. The mountains were hazy in the distance, the peaks still covered in snow from the harsh winter. I grinned in delight as I saw the plant growing beneath it, covered in wild strawberries. _

_"Oh! There's plenty for all of us!" I grinned. "I love strawberries. Come on Gin-kun, let's pick them!" _

_Gin and I walked over, relieving the plant of its load. "Any more?" _

_I searched the plant carefully. "No. Where do we go now?" _

_Gin was walking around the tree, deeper into the woods on the edges of the city. "Maybe there's more fruit in here. Come on, 'Kita-chan." He disappeared behind a bush, and I quickly ran after him. _

_"Wait for me, Gin-kun!" _

_He appeared again, smiling like always. "Don't worry, 'Kita-chan. I ain't about to leave you behind." He stretched a hand out toward me, and I took it gratefully, stepping over the boulders and logs hidden in the underbrush. "Be careful." _

_"I know," I replied, then gasped. "Look! More strawberries!" _

_xxxxx_

_Autumn was my second favorite season, and naturally I was happy when it arrived. It was a bit of a bittersweet time though, since I knew winter would be coming soon afterward. Gin, Rangiku, and I knew we had to stock up on food for the upcoming winter, so Gin went out to scavenge. I volunteered to go with him. It was a good thing I did, since that was the day we found our special place, our clearing. _

_Gin was walking next to me silently, smiling as always. I looked up at the young boy and asked, "Where should we go, Gin-kun?" _

_The silver-haired boy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should head south? It ain't like there's food anywhere else." _

_I nodded my agreement. The past couple days of searching had yielded no source of food whatsoever. "Okay. Let's go." _

_We reached the southern end of Rukongai in twenty minutes. The streets were in need of repair here; the rock crumbled underneath our feet as we walked. I stopped at the edge of the woods and looked around. "Gin-kun, isn't this where we found those strawberries in the spring?" _

_"Maybe." He walked into the woods without hesitation and I hastened after him. _

_As we walked, I realized it was indeed where we had found the strawberries. We hadn't gone nearly as far into the forest that time, and I found myself lost within minutes. "I hope you know where you're going, because I sure don't." I told Gin, following his luminous silver hair in the dim light of the forest._

_"What makes you think I know, 'Kita-chan?" Gin asked innocently, not turning around. _

_"Gin-kun? You mean you don't know either?" I panicked. "How're we going to get out?" I grabbed at the silver-haired boy's sleeve desperately. _

_Gin chuckled quietly. "Don't worry, 'Kita-chan, we ain't gettin' lost anytime soon. I'll keep track of where we're goin'." _

_His reassurance calmed me down. "Okay. Lead on." _

_xxx_

_We came out in a clearing in the middle of the forest. A river ran through it, a small waterfall splashing into a glistening pool below. The woods thinned out on the other side, giving way to foothills and small copses of trees. The mountains were a hazy purple in the distance, crowned by silver-lined clouds. The bright noonday sun shone down on us, making the water glimmer. However, the scenery wasn't what had caught Gin's eye. He had immediately run over to a nearby tree, hoisting himself up into its branches. _

_"Look, 'Kita-chan! Persimmons!" _

_I looked, and indeed they were. The trees were drooping from the weight of the bulbous orange fruit and Gin's weight on the branch. I had to laugh. "Your favorite, huh, Gin-kun?" _

_His smile broadened. "Yep!" He picked one off of the tree and took a bite. "Want one?" _

_"Sure." I caught the persimmon he tossed me, then sat down at the base of the tree, leaning against the trunk and admiring the view. "It's pretty here, isn't it?" _

_"Yep, sure is," Gin agreed. He joined me on the ground, his lips stained with juice. His smile was wider than I had ever seen it. I finished my persimmon and looked up at the branches of fruit suspended above us. _

_"You think we should pick them?" _

_"Why not? It ain't like anyone else eats them." Gin grabbed a couple of the fruits and placed them on the ground carefully. I followed his example, and soon we had amassed a large pile of the sweet orange fruits. _

_"You think that's enough, Gin-kun?" I turned to look at my silver-haired friend. _

_"Yep. That's all we can carry back." He sat down on the ground again. I sat down next to him. "Let's take a break, 'Kita-chan. That sure was tirin'." He stretched out on the green grass, his silver locks splayed out on the ground. I laid down next to him, and he took my hand, twining his fingers with mine. And for a while, we forgot our hardships in Rukongai, we forgot about the winter that was sure to come. We were just two innocent kids, happily watching the clouds go by. _

* * *

It was almost three o'clock, which meant I had to stop by and see Shuuhei soon. I set out towards the ninth division headquarters, taking the short way to get there faster. I figured Shuuhei wouldn't be mad if I dropped by a little earlier than planned.

* * *

It took about fifteen minutes to reach the headquarters. I walked into Shuuhei's office, where he sat with a pile of papers in front of him, scribbling away. "Hey, Shuuhei-kun," I greeted him.

He looked up and smiled warmly when he saw me. "Hey, Nikita! I wasn't expecting you until three. But please, sit down. Make yourself comfortable."

"Sorry. I didn't have anything to do, so I figured I would stop by a little earlier. You don't mind, do you? I'm sorry if I got in the way of your work." I apologized as I sat down on a chair in front of his desk.

"No, that's fine. I don't mind at all." Shuuhei set his pen down and smiled at me, running his hand through his spiky hair. Then he picked up a sheet of paper. "Could you fill this out? It's basically the same thing I gave to Renji, but for different divisions."

I took the paper. "Sure, no problem. Do you want me to do it now?"

Shuuhei shrugged. "If you want to." He handed me a pen, his fingers brushing against mine momentarily as he did. His hand lingered by mine for a moment, then pulled away, picking up his own pen. He sighed. "I really should get back to work…"

"Oh? Am I in your way?" I stood up. "I'll leave then. I'll drop this off tomorrow, is that okay?"

"Absolutely. I'm sorry, Nikita. I mean, you don't have to leave, but Captain Tosen really wants this article done by today, and I'm way behind schedule." Shuuhei grimaced, looking at the sizeable pile on his desk. I returned his pen and playfully tousled his hair.

"Poor Shuuhei-kun. I'm sure you'll find a way to finish in time. But that's enough of that. I'll leave you alone now." I began walking towards the door.

"I'll walk you out, Nikita," Shuuhei said, standing up from his chair. He escorted me to the exit, then turned to face me. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yes. Bye, Shuuhei-kun."

"Bye, Nikita. See you later."

* * *

The walk home took less than twenty minutes. Stepping into the kitchen, I settled myself down on a cushion at the table in the middle of the room and filled out the form Shuuhei had given me. Most of the questions were just asking what my experience was like in the divisions and what the captains and lieutenants were like. It was an easy sheet, and I finished within the hour. Stretching, I stood up and walked to the front room of the house. Curling up on the couch, I opened up a book on Kido spells and tried to read it. I found myself utterly exhausted though, and wound up falling asleep, dreaming about silver hair and ripe persimmons.

* * *

Gin strolled down the street towards the fifth division headquarters, making sure to keep his smile in place. He couldn't let Sousuke know that anything was going on behind his back, after all. The silver-haired captain stepped into Sousuke's office, grinning all the way. The seemingly gentle captain of the fifth division looked up at him as he walked in, a small smile on his face. "Good evening, Captain Ichimaru."

"Good evenin' Captain Aizen. Thought I'd stop by and chat for a while," Gin replied, making himself comfortable on the futon in the office.

"Of course. You are welcome to stop by any time." Sousuke turned to Momo Hinamori, who was sitting at her own desk, dutifully scratching away at her papers. "Hinamori-kun, could you leave us for a moment please? I would like to have a word with Captain Ichimaru here."

Momo looked up, a blush crossing her cheeks as she met her captain's eyes. "O-of course, Captain Aizen!" She scurried out.

Gin chuckled, watching her leave. "She's so obedient, it's pathetic." Watching Sousuke manipulate the people around him was always interesting. His control over everyone was incredible, and Kyouka Suigetsu only served to magnify his power. Gin's smile widened as he thought about their plans. No one would see it coming. But there would always be surprises. The silver-haired man grinned to himself. _Yep, there's always a surprise. _

"Yes, isn't she? I use her obedience and admiration to my advantage. A loyal subordinate is most helpful, wouldn't you agree, Gin?" The chestnut-haired captain smirked up at the silver-haired captain, chocolate colored eyes meeting Gin's squinted blue ones.

"Of course, Captain Aizen," Gin agreed happily, his smile growing. _A loyal subordinate indeed…_

"Everything is beginning to fall into place. We will be putting our plans into action soon. Rukia Kuchiki will be coming back to Soul Society in a few days. Are you ready, Gin? Are you ready for the new God to rule?"

"Of course, Captain Aizen," Gin said again. "Never been readier."

* * *

A/N: You know, I love snow days. I really do. Thank you, Shiro-chan and your amazing weather-controlling abilities! I have newfound respect for Hyourinmaru now.  
Anyways, this chapter? Not so sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I liked writing it, but it seems very 'blah' sometimes. And I have a tendency to throw random flashbacks in whenever I want to. But then again, that's what I do for everything. Although Aizen does make his debut appearance here. That was exciting, right?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I was woken up by a quiet rapping on the front door. Groggily, I sat up from where I had fallen asleep on the couch yesterday. "Hang on!" I called, standing up and hurrying over to the door. Opening it up, I saw none other than Izuru Kira, Gin's lieutenant. "Hey, Izuru-kun! Come on in!" I moved aside, allowing the blond-haired man to step inside.

"Good morning, Nikita-san. Did I wake you up?" Izuru looked at me, abashed.

"Yeah, but it's all right. I really should have been awake already." I walked into the kitchen with Izuru trailing behind me. "Do you want some tea?"

"Yes, thank you. That would be great," he replied as he sat down on the cushions at the table. "Now, I guess I should tell you why I'm here."

I put the kettle on the stove and joined him at the table.

"My captain sent me here. He was busy today, so he had me come," Izuru continued. "He's wondering if you would like to join him for dinner tonight."

I nodded. "Absolutely. I would love to." _Dinner again, Gin? What are you up to now?_

"Captain Ichimaru will be happy to hear that," the blond lieutenant said with a small smile. "He'll come pick you up at seven tonight. But enough about that. How have you been?"

"I've been good," I said, standing up. Picking up the kettle, I filled up a teapot and dropped some tea leaves in. "How are you, Izuru-kun?" I poured out two cups of the steaming tea and set them on the table.

Izuru blew on the surface of his tea before answering. "I've been all right. There's a lot of work to do, but that's to be expected when you're a lieutenant."

"Or when your captain doesn't work," I said with a grin.

The blond man smiled. "That too."

Suddenly, there was a crash and a thud from the other room. I jumped up, concerned. "Rangiku? What's going on?" I ran into the hallway with Izuru behind me and stopped in my tracks. The strawberry-blonde was sprawled face down on the ground, her hair a tangled mess. She didn't move when I prodded her shoulder lightly. "Ran-chan?"

"Matsumoto-san?" Izuru said from behind me. "Is she all right?"

"I don't know. I think she has a hangover or something. We had the day off yesterday, and she said she was going to get some sake with Captain Kyoraku."

Rangiku stirred, then sat up with a groan. "Hey, Nikita, can you make me some tea? I don't feel very good…"

I smiled sympathetically at her. "Sure, Ran. Izuru-kun and I were just having some tea, but I think the kind Captain Unohana made would be better for your situation."

"That hangover stuff sounds really good right now," she agreed, nodding. Then she grasped her head, grimacing. "Ow. Remind me not to do that."

* * *

"So what exactly happened in the hallway, Ran?" I asked. The three of us were now sitting in the kitchen, sipping tea and talking before we had to go to work. "Did you fall down?"

"I fell down the stairs. But I'm okay, really. Just need to be more careful." Rangiku assured. "It's been a while since I've drank so much."

"See, this is why I don't drink with you," I said with a grin.

"Ah, shut up," Rangiku said, clasping her teacup between her hands.

Izuru stood up from his cushion. "I should be leaving; Captain Ichimaru will be looking for me."

"Oh yeah! Say 'hi' to Gin for me; will you, Kira-kun?" Rangiku said, cheering up at the mention of our childhood friend.

"Of course, Matsumoto-san. I will. Thank you for the tea, Nikita-chan."

"Anytime, Izuru-kun," I told him. "See you later!"

"Goodbye," he replied, walking out.

I turned to Rangiku with a devilish grin. "So, Ran, ready for work?"

* * *

Rangiku and I groaned in unison when we walked into the office and saw the pile of paperwork awaiting us. Toshiro looked up from his own pile and scowled. "You're both late. Get to work."

I pulled a chair up to Rangiku's desk while the strawberry-blonde sat down in her own seat. "Fine, Captain. Don't be so pouty," she said, picking up a pen without protest. I knew Rangiku knew better than to complain about her hangover to our captain. He wouldn't care, and he definitely wouldn't take pity on her. I picked up another pen and sighed.

"Let's get this over with, Ran."

* * *

We had been at work for over three hours, and my muscles were cramped from sitting in the same position. I rolled my shoulders and shifted in my chair. Rangiku dropped her pen and asked, "Are you hungry?"

I looked up at Rangiku, who was stretching her hands over her head. "Hmm?"

She stood up from her seat, picking up the completed paperwork and placing it on Toshiro's desk. Toshiro grunted in thanks and continued reading his papers. The strawberry-blonde then walked back to her desk. "Are you hungry? We need to eat sometime, you know."

I shook my head. "I'm okay, actually. But you can go ahead if you want to."

"Okay then." Rangiku headed towards the door. "I'll be back in an hour or so. See you guys later." She walked out, leaving me alone with my captain, who was still engrossed in his work. It would be a long hour without Rangiku to talk to. I didn't even have Senreienko to chat with. _Speaking of Senreienko, maybe I should visit her…_But of course, I had no time to do that. I sighed and continued working.

* * *

"You're done for the day, Koreyoshi."

I glanced up at my white-haired captain. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Toshiro ran his hand through his spiky hair, brushing it out of his eyes. His pile of paperwork was diminished greatly, as was Rangiku's and mine. A relieved smile broke across my face.

"Thank you, Captain!" I was so happy, I could've hugged him.

"You're welcome." Toshiro looked back down at his papers and picked up his pen, signaling the end of the conversation. I stood up and handed him the completed papers, then turned back to where Rangiku was still sitting.

"How is that fair?" She complained. "Nikita can go, but I have to stay?"

"Yes," Toshiro said simply.

I laughed and skipped out of the office. "Bye, Ran-chan! Bye, Shiro-chan!"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya," he muttered from behind me, and I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

I used shunpo on the way home, wanting to get there as fast as possible. It had been a while since I had talked to Senreienko, and I wanted to work on mastering my Bankai. Throwing open the front door, I bolted up the stairs and into my room where Senreienko was lying on the bedside table. I sat down cross-legged on my bed, then laid my zanpakuto across my lap. Closing my eyes, I whispered, "Senreienko…"

_Long time no see, Nikita-sama. _

I opened my eyes and found myself in Senreienko's inner world. It was eternal dawn here, the sky streaked dusky orange and pink where the sun was peeking out over the rocky horizon. The hues darkened to purple, then a deep blue, the wide expanse of sky still scattered with stars. The pale moon, a quarter-full, hung in the sky. A volcano stood solemnly in the distance, a river of molten lava running through the crumbling black and gray rocks scattered across the land. On top of one of the rocks, a large gray one with a flat top, stood Senreienko. I smiled at my crimson-haired zanpakuto spirit. "Hey, Senreienko."

She smiled. Her crimson hair danced like flames behind her, her golden eyes narrowed at me. She wore white hakama tied with red himo and a sleeveless red top that matched her hair. Leaping gracefully down from the rock, she started walking toward me. _Come to learn more? _

I smiled back. "Of course."

_And what makes you think I'll teach you more about your Bankai? _

"I don't know," I told her honestly. "But I want to become better."

_So you can beat Ryuujin Jakka?_

I laughed quietly. "Ryuujin Jakka? I doubt I could beat Captain-commander's zanpakuto, Senreienko. It is the most powerful fire-type zanpakuto, after all."

The crimson-haired spirit snorted_. So what? _

I laughed at the petulant expression on her face. "So, about my Bankai…"

Senreienko smirked slightly, petulance replaced by mischief. _So impatient, Nikita-sama. Shouldn't we spar first?_

"Of course," I said, drawing my katana from the sheath on my back. "What were you waiting for?"

_You're so confident, _the spirit murmured, a small smirk on her face. _And so secretive. Keeping your achievement of Bankai a secret from everyone still? _

I nodded. "Even more people would be pressuring me otherwise. Captain-commander already does, I don't need others to join in."

She shrugged. _That's true._ Drawing her own katana from her back, she held it out, the blade pointing toward me. _Ready? _

"Of course," I said again, raising my zanpakuto.

The only warning I got was the mischievous glint in Senreienko's golden eyes before she was on me, her sword clashing with mine. I let out a startled gasp from the ferocity of her assault, then began to parry her attacks. She was just as fast as me, if not faster, and I was tired within minutes. But I had to keep going if I wanted to master Bankai.

_I think you've improved, Nikita-sama. _Senreienko jumped forward, slashing at my head.

I ducked under her swinging blade, simultaneously thrusting my sword toward her stomach. She leaped backward and laughed.

_Yes, you've definitely improved. But is it enough?_

"I don't know," I replied, walking toward her. "You tell me."

Senreienko just smiled and swung the sword at me again. I sighed and blocked her blade again. "We can't hurt each other, Senreienko. Wouldn't that mean were pretty much even?"

_Oh? Is that what you think, Nikita-sama?_

I watched as the crimson-haired spirit raised her katana, pointing it at me. _Homura mori!_ A stream of fire flew from the tip, burning through my kosode and singing the skin underneath. I gasped, partly because of the pain but mostly from surprise.

"What…what is this, Senreienko?"

_A new technique. _She smirked. _Interesting, isn't it? _

I nodded dumbly.

_Well, come on. Are you going to work for it, or are you just going to keep on staring at me like that? _The zanpakuto spirit grinned and darted off, leaping on top of a flat rock. _Catch me if you can! _

I sighed and took off after her.

xxx

"Well, it's been fun, Senreienko," I told the crimson-haired spirit.

She smiled slightly, sheathing her katana. _It certainly has, Nikita-sama. We should do it more often. _

"I'll try to visit more often," I told her. "I don't know if I'll be able to though. It's been busy."

_Oh please, _the spirit said. _You had the whole day off yesterday, didn't you? _

She had a point. I nodded, embarrassed. "Yeah…"

_What were you doing? You could've been visiting me, but you didn't. The last time I saw you was when we were fighting against Ryuujin Jakka. _She didn't sound too bitter―she rarely was―but I knew she wanted an explanation nevertheless.

"I was talking to Renji-kun. He's worried about Kuchiki-san; she's still not back from the Human World. Then I visited Shuuhei-kun for a while. When I came home, I fell asleep on the couch, so…I didn't get a chance to visit. I'm sorry."

_It's all right. But it sure gets lonely around here sometimes. _

I looked around, taking in the desolate landscape and fiery horizon. "I would imagine."

_Any news I should know about? I thought I sensed Shinso a couple days ago…_She smirked at me, and I found myself smirking back.

"Did you really?"

_I did. Something you want to tell me, Nikita-sama? _Her smirk widened.

I sighed in resignation at my zanpakuto spirit. It was obvious she already knew what was going on; she just wanted to hear me say it out loud. "You just want me to say it, don't you, Senreienko?"

She inclined her head, her crimson hair flying around her in the breeze. _Yes. _

"Fine. I've been seeing Gin."

_Ah, of course you have. Shinso's master…Gin Ichimaru. I remember him. We used to go to the third division a lot, didn't we, Nikita-sama? We spent the night often too…_ She winked, and I felt my face heat up slightly. She laughed quietly, walking over to me and sitting on a rock. I took a seat next to her. _You still enjoy his company, don't you? I sensed your joy at being reunited with him. It was apparent, even though we were so far apart. _

I nodded slowly. "Yes. I was so happy. I missed him, Senreienko."

_I know. We are one, remember? _

I nodded again. Senreienko looked off into the distance, staring at the dormant volcano that occupied the majority of the landscape.

_And you still care for him. I can feel it. You never did forget him over these forty years, and you never stopped loving him._

There was no point in denying it. What she said was true, and I knew it. I didn't acknowledge her words, but my silence was enough of an answer for her.

_Do you know why he came back to you all of a sudden?_

I shook my head, wishing she hadn't brought it up. The very same thought had been plaguing me since he had returned into my life.

She looked at me, her golden eyes meeting my violet ones. _Strange, isn't it?_ She shrugged. _But I must admit, I am pretty fond of him too. Will you be seeing him soon?_

I nodded and finally spoke. "Tonight."

Senreienko stood up, her lips lifting at the corners. A mischievous glint lit up her eyes, and I looked up at her, waiting for her response.

_I bet you'll have lots of fun, _she said, her grin widening. It was a very Gin-like grin, and seeing it on my zanpakuto spirit's face made me grin too.

"I will."

_Goodbye, Nikita-sama. I'll see you later… _

Senreienko slowly faded from view, and I once again found myself in my room, my zanpakuto resting on my knees. I stood up, stretching my stiff muscles. I had been sitting there for nearly three hours without moving, and it certainly hadn't done wonders for my body. Looking at the clock, I barely registered the time displayed there before I remembered that Gin would be here at seven o'clock. It was six fifty-four. I squeaked slightly, and ran into the bathroom for a quick shower.

* * *

Gin didn't bother knocking on the front door. He knew Nikita and Rangiku kept their door unlocked most of the time, and today was no exception. Whistling under his breath, he headed up the stairs to find the dark-haired Shinigami woman. Maybe he would get a chance to embarrass her a bit, especially if he caught her in the middle of something important. She really was fun to tease sometimes.

Gin's ever-present smile widened as he reached the top of the stairs. The shower in Nikita's room was running; it was obvious as to what she was doing. The silver-haired captain was grateful to have showed up a couple minutes early. Catching people off guard was always entertaining. He walked into Nikita's room, and then headed toward the adjoining bathroom. Silently, he slid the door open, tiptoeing inside. It was then that the flow of water suddenly stopped. Gin smiled even wider, waiting for the woman to step out of the shower.

* * *

I hummed quietly to myself as I turned off the water. Then I threw the shower curtain open, expecting to see an empty bathroom. It was anything but. Gin was leaning against the door, grinning like a fox that had just caught a particularly tasty bird. I gasped, seizing a towel from the rack and covering myself quickly. "Gin-kun, what are you doing?"

He chuckled quietly, not looking at all abashed. "Why are you coverin' yourself up so quickly, 'Kita-chan? You have a beautiful body."

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Don't you knock, Gin?" I ignored the compliment.

"You know I don't," the silver-haired man replied, stepping closer to me.

I sighed. "Yeah. I guess I do know that." Walking around him, I headed back into my bedroom where my Shihakusho lay on the bed. Picking up my shitagi, I pulled it on, followed by the black kosode. Gin followed me, watching me dress with a smile on his face. "You're a creep, you know that Gin?"

He slid his arms around my waist as I went to pull on my hakama. "I know. But that ain't a problem, now is it, Nikita?"

I shrugged as I tied my himo and grabbed my purple hair ribbon from the bedside table. Sitting down on the bed, I started to braid my damp hair, fully aware of how much he hated my hair when it was up. "It's a problem to most people."

"But what about you?" He asked, pulling the ribbon away from me and undoing my braid.

I turned around and snatched the ribbon back, trying hard not to smile. "I'm used to it."

* * *

"Oh!" I exclaimed suddenly as we walked by the ninth division. "I need to give a paper to Shuuhei-kun!"

Gin cast me an amused look. "Oh?"

"I can't believe it! I completely forgot, oh, I hope he's not mad!" I cried frantically, grabbing Gin's arm. "We have to go back and get it!"

The silver-haired man looked at me with mock sadness. "Lieutenant of the Ninth is more important than me?"

"Stop that. I told him I would drop it off." I began pulling him back towards the tenth division.

* * *

I dashed into Shuuhei's office, dropping the sheet of paper on his desk. The spiky haired man looked up at me, a bemused expression on his face. "What's the rush, Nikita?"

"Sorry, Shuuhei-kun. I know it's a little late. And now I have to go, because Captain Ichimaru's waiting for me outside."

Shuuhei raised an eyebrow. "Captain Ichimaru? Are you two… you know…" he trailed off, looking awkward.

"I don't know," I replied, completely exasperated. Everyone was asking the same questions lately, and it was really starting to get on my nerves.

He sensed my annoyance and apologized. "Sorry, sorry. I'll let you go now. See you later, Nikita. Come back to visit?"

I nodded. "Absolutely. Bye, Shuuhei-kun." Walking out of his office, I almost ran straight into Gin, who was standing outside the door. "A little nosy, aren't we, Gin-kun?"

He just smiled and took my hand, leading me away.

* * *

Izuru was just leaving the office when Gin and I walked into the third division. He smiled slightly when he saw us, noticing our entwined hands. "Hey, Izuru-kun!" I waved with my free hand.

"Hello, Nikita-san. Hello, Captain Ichimaru," the blond lieutenant greeted us both.

"Hey there, Izuru. Why you leavin' so early?" Gin gave his lieutenant an evil smile. "I don't recall sayin' you could leave…"

"Captain Ichimaru, I've finished all the paperwork already. You don't have to worry," Izuru looked up at his taller captain calmly. I suppose he was already used to Gin's tricks and mocking behavior.

"Oh?"Gin's smile grew. "You're dismissed then! See you tomorrow!" He gave Izuru a little wave and pulled me into his quarters.

"Bye, Izuru-kun!" I called after the retreating blond man.

"Goodbye, Nikita-san," he replied before disappearing in a flash of shunpo.

"So," Gin said, looking down at me. "You hungry?"

* * *

"That was great, Gin. Thank you for the dinner." I leaned back in my chair, smiling at the captain.

"No problem," he replied, setting his empty bowl down. "Want to sit in the garden for a while? It sure is nice out."

"Okay." I allowed Gin to wrap his cool hand around mine, our fingers twining together. He led me outside to the third division garden, where he had personally planted a few persimmon trees. There was no fruit yet, but the branches were covered in dark green leaves, casting shadows on the ground. Inhaling deeply, I plopped down on the back steps, gazing up at the sky.

"So, Nikita, you ready to find some new recruits?" Gin asked, sitting down next to me.

I nodded. Graduation in Shino Academy had been a couple of days ago, which meant new Shinigami would be flooding into the Gotei 13. "Yeah, definitely. I love getting new people on the division. We have our recruitment brochure ready and everything."

Gin nodded, his silver hair gleaming in the moonlight. "Us too. Izuru did a nice job with it this year. He even drew some persimmons on it, just for me!"

I laughed. "Any poems?"

"Nah. It's got a picture of me and him under a persimmon tree."

"Oh, that's cute!"

Gin nodded slowly, wrapping an arm around me. I leaned my head on his shoulder, breathing in his musky scent, tinged slightly with persimmons. Reaching for my hair ribbon, he pulled it out, letting my dark tresses loose from its braid. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. "So, 'Kita-chan…"

"Hmm?"

"Are you stayin' with me tonight?"

I stiffened. "Am I―what?" I stared up into Gin's squinted eyes, unable to discern his expression. _Was he serious? _I honestly couldn't tell.

His icy blue eyes opened slightly, a mischievous twinkle in their depths. "Are you stayin'?"

"Gin, I―" He didn't allow me to finish. I let out a surprised gasp when I suddenly found his lips against my own. _Oh gods, he's kissing me. _I didn't know what to do. Hadn't I been longing for this? So why was I frozen in place? He seemed to notice my hesitation and pulled away, blue eyes still open.

"What's wrong, Nikita?"

"I…" I tried to find my voice. "Gin…why are you doing this?"

"Why not? It ain't a problem, is it?" He smirked at me.

I shook my head, dark hair whipping around my face. "No, of course not. But…why now? It's been so long, Gin-kun. I don't know what to think." I paused, thinking of what to say next. "I mean, you were gone for forty years, and now you just waltz back into my life like nothing happened? Life doesn't work like that, Gin-kun." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. There. I said it. I had been afraid to ask him about his return before, but it was finally out in the open. Looking up at the silver-haired man, I saw that his eyes were squinted again, hiding the pale blue irises from view. He smiled.

"You didn't seem to mind a few days ago. You tellin' me you ain't happy to see me, 'Kita-chan?"

"You know I'm happy. You've always known me better than anyone, Gin-kun."

"Exactly. I told you back then; I wanted to stay friends with you. Seein' as that didn't happen, well, I want to be your friend again. And maybe more, if you'll let me. Is that really so hard to accept now?"

I shrugged my shoulders, looking at the shadowed persimmon trees in the garden. '_And maybe more, if you'll let me.' _I suppressed a shiver of anticipation at his implication. "I…I suppose not." I lowered my gaze to the ground, almost regretting that I had asked my question. Then again, it was kind of a good thing that I did; otherwise it would've plagued me forever. I sighed. Gin's arm wrapped around my shoulders again, and I nestled closer to him. Darting a quick glance upward, I saw that Gin was smirking slightly at me.

"You never did answer my question."

"Your ques…" I trailed off as I remembered what he had asked me. "Oh."

He raised a silver eyebrow. "Well?"

I gave him a small smile. "Why not, Gin-kun? It's not like I have anything better to do." He chuckled quietly at my teasing remark, and then pulled me in for a kiss. This time, I didn't hesitate, kissing him back gently. The silver-haired captain pulled back and lowered his arms down to my waist. All of a sudden, he whisked me up into his arms, carrying me. I let out a startled shriek. Gin grinned.

"Let's go, 'Kita-chan. We're goin' back to my room."

I smiled and settled into his embrace, allowing him to carry me back to his quarters. It really was good to have Gin back.

* * *

A/N: Yeah. If the Shuuhei bit in the middle seems a bit rushed and out of the blue, it's because it is. I kind of forgot about him until the last minute...oops. Sorry, Shuu-kun. Forgive me?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N: So, bit of a smutty flashback this chapter. Yeah. I'm actually quite nervous about posting this chapter, mainly because of the smut. And I'm not so sure how it turned out, so feedback would be greatly appreciated. And FFN likes to kill all of the formatting I do, which annoys me to no end. Gagh. But I went back and re-formatted everything in the previous chapters (the content didn't change), so hopefully it's better now.

* * *

It was early, about six o'clock in the morning, when my eyes fluttered open. Sunlight was streaming in through the crack in the curtains, illuminating the dust motes that floated around the room. I yawned, blinking blearily at my surroundings and wondering why my back was so warm. _Where am I? What's going on? _Then I remembered last night's events. Turning my head, I saw the reason why I was so warm. My back was pressed up against Gin's chest, his arm around my waist. I felt my face heat up as I tried not to stare at the silver-haired man next to me. His body was lean and lithe, his bare chest rising and falling with every breath he took. Dark lashes rested against his pale cheeks as he slept, his lips curled slightly upward in a small smile. His silver locks were splayed out on the white pillow, gleaming in the morning light. He looked so serene; I didn't have the heart to wake him. Instead, I nestled back under the covers, trying not to disturb the sleeping man next to me. As I snuggled closer to his warm body, I found myself remembering last night in vivid detail.

* * *

_Gin nudged his bedroom door shut with his foot after he carried me inside. Laying me down on the bed, he removed his waraji, then settled his tall frame next to mine. I rolled over and faced him, wrapping an arm around his neck. His arms snaked around my waist, pulling me against his chest. Tilting my head back, I brought my mouth to his, feeling his smile widen against my lips. "In a bit of a rush, ain't we?" he asked as he pulled away, his breathing slightly ragged. _

_"Mmm…" I murmured, dazed from the lack of air. _

_He chuckled. "Out of breath already, 'Kita-chan? How will you survive the rest of tonight if you can barely take some kissin'?" _

_I didn't bother to give him an answer and tugged on the edges of his kosode instead. He smirked and grabbed my wrists, stopping me from taking it off. _

_"Now, now, 'Kita. Quit bein' so naughty. We have plenty of time for that later." Leaning down, he trailed his lips along my jaw and down my neck, leaving soft kisses in his wake. I gasped, his actions sending shivers down my spine. He laughed quietly. "So sensitive, Nikita. Then again, you always have been." Then the smile disappeared. "How long has it been since you've been with a man?" His eyes opened, and I could see my reflection in their blue depths. He was being serious, I knew, and he would not be happy if he found out I'd been with someone else. However, there was no need for him to be angry._

_"I haven't been with anyone else, Gin. You're the only one."_

_xxx_

_Gin's eyes opened in shock at this statement. _She hadn't been with anyone else? At all? _He had to admit, he was surprised. He thought for sure she'd have found someone else, especially since he hurt her so much. But then again, Nikita wasn't the kind of girl that would go find another man when one left her. It wasn't in her nature, and it wasn't in her nature to lie either. Looking into the violet depths of her eyes, he saw nothing but honesty and love reflected in them. Love for him. _I don't deserve that love, _he thought to himself. _I'm only goin' to hurt her again. _But that could wait. He would forget about that, and take advantage of tonight. _But after tonight… _He didn't know what was going to happen in the morning. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know either. _

_He had been too attached to Nikita from the very beginning, ever since they first met. When he joined Sousuke Aizen, however, he had vowed to distance himself from everyone he cared about, Nikita included. But the silver-haired man had found that he just couldn't do it. For years, he had continued seeing Nikita, continued being her friend and lover. Then he had finally decided it was enough. Her division transfer had seemed like the perfect time. He would distance himself, so as to hurt her less when the time came for his defection. But again, he'd been unable to stay away. Those forty years had been the longest years of his life. Even though he had managed to refrain from speaking to her, he had continued watching her, making sure she didn't get into any trouble. During her initial depression, there had been nothing he wanted to do more than to wrap his arms around her and kiss her tears away. He had resisted the urge though. But now, here he was, back with her again, her body pressed up against him. She was his; no one else had ever touched her. The thought made him smile. "Oh? Well then, this sure is somethin' special then, ain't it?"_

_Nikita smiled up at him, purple eyes sparkling. "Yeah, it is."_

_"I'll make sure it's good then," Gin said with a playful grin. He followed up his remark with a long, deep kiss, trailing his way down to her chest. Removing her kosode and shitagi, he commented, "I don't understand why you covered yourself up so quickly in the shower when we were just goin' to come back to my place and do this."_

_The dark-haired woman blushed. "Well, I wasn't about to flaunt myself in front of you!" _

_His smile widened. "Why not? You got nothing' to be ashamed of." Gazing down, he admired her pale skin and curved figure. Her face flushed crimson as she watched his opened eyes travel up and down her body. _

_"Gin…" _

_"Hmm?" _

_"...you're still a creep." _

_"I know that." His hands wandered down to her waist, where her hakama was secured together by her himo. He untied it with deft fingers, sliding her hakama off, leaving her bare underneath him. Sitting up, he marveled at her form as she gazed up at him, silently pleading for him to hurry up and continue his administrations. He just grinned, knowing that he would torture her a bit more before he gave in. _

_xxx_

_I knew Gin was a tease. I had always known that he would draw this out, making me beg for him to take me before he would do anything. Looking up at Gin, I decided to point out how unfair it was that he was still fully clothed. "Why do you get to keep your clothes on?" I sat up, tugging on his haori to emphasize my point._

_He grinned. "Would you rather me take them off?" _

_"Yes," I told him, knowing he wouldn't. _

_I was proven correct as he paused, then said, "…nah." _

_Desperate measures needed to be taken. Throwing a leg over Gin, I straddled his hips and pushed him back down onto the bed. His grin widened as I placed a hand on either side of his head, looking down at him. _

_"Well, well! That sure ain't what I expected from you, 'Kita-chan." _

_I could feel his arousal pressing up against my thigh, and nudged it slightly, getting a quiet groan out of the silver-haired man beneath me. I smirked at the minute reaction. "Haven't I told you before? Always expect the unexpected." It was the same thing I had told him during the spar that started our relationship. _

_"If I expect them, they ain't really unexpected anymore, now are they?" _

_I sighed. "Oh, stop overanalyzing it." Reaching for his haori once more, I pulled it off his shoulders and tossed it to the side. It landed on the ground in a heap next to my abandoned clothes. Gin allowed me to remove his kosode and shitagi before grabbing my wrists again. He rolled over so that he was on top of me and kissed me a third time. His tongue darted into my mouth, eliciting a moan from me. I reached up, tangling my fingers in his smooth, silky hair. His arousal pressed against my entrance, and I let out another moan. He smirked against my lips, pushing inside me slightly, the cloth of his hakama still covering him. I gasped. "Gin!" _

_xxx_

_The sound of Nikita gasping his name sent Gin over the edge. He sat up, untying his himo and letting his hakama slide down. Pulling them off, he watched with an amused expression as Nikita stared at him wide-eyed. Or at his member, to be more accurate. "Somethin' wrong, Nikita?" _

_She shook her head, dragging her eyes away from his member up to his face. "N-no. You're just…bigger than I remembered." _

_Gin laughed out loud. "Of course. I'm a big boy now." _

_She laughed too. "Is the big bad Captain of the Third going to take me anytime soon?" _

_The silver-haired man settled himself comfortably between her legs, grinning. "Yep." _

_xxx_

_Once more, Gin was pressed against my entrance, but this time, there was no cloth to get in the way. I gazed up at Gin pleadingly, practically begging for him. "Gin… don't torture me like this." _

_"Would I do somethin' like that, 'Kita-chan?" _

_"Yes, you would." I bucked my hips up, rubbing against him. He suppressed a groan, then entered me with a single movement. "Oh gods! Gin!"_

* * *

I was pulled out of my thoughts as my lover stirred, shifting underneath the covers. I smiled up at him as his eyes opened. "Good morning, Gin."

He blinked and then smiled down at me, tilting my chin up to kiss my lips. "Good mornin', Nikita."

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was almost time for work. I leaned my forehead against his chest and sighed, not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed, but knowing that I had to. "I have to leave for work soon."

His arms tightened around my waist as he buried his face in my neck, whispering, "Don't."

I tried to ignore Gin's breath on my bared skin, sending tingles down my spine. "I have to. And so do you. We get to meet our new recruits today, aren't you excited?"

He didn't move, nor did he loosen his grip. "Nope. And I could take the day off, if I wanted to."

"Well, not all of us are captains like you, Gin." Although it was true that Captain-commander had said I had the potential, but no one needed to know that. Shifting, I tried to wriggle out of Gin's embrace. When he didn't show any signs of loosening his hold, I sighed and laid back down, wrapping an arm around the stubborn silver-haired man. "What will it take to get you to let go of me?"

"I ain't lettin' go, so nothin'," Gin replied obstinately.

"Please, Gin. Don't make me beg."

He looked up at me, blue irises glinting with mischief. "That could be entertainin'."

"Come on, Gin. I'll be back tonight, I promise."

The silver-haired Shinigami leaned back against the pillows, absentmindedly twirling a lock of my dark hair around his long slender finger. He sighed. "Fine, fine. Go on. But I'll be waitin' for you to come back." He grinned at me.

I smiled back. "Maybe I shouldn't come back then."

Gin's grin widened. "I'll hunt you down if you don't." His fingers began tracing a path along my back, and I shivered at the gentle touch.

"Oh, is that a threat?" I asked, trying to ignore his wandering fingers.

"Nope. It's a promise."

I laughed and stood up, retrieving my Shihakusho from the ground where it lay. Gin watched me dress from where he was laying on the bed, grinning in amusement. I ignored his gaze. Tying my himo, I turned towards the door just as someone knocked on it. I walked over and opened it, finding Izuru standing there. Upon seeing me, his face flushed a deep crimson.

"Nikita-san!"

I smiled at him. "Good morning, Izuru-kun. I assume you're here to wake your Captain up?"

He nodded, still blushing.

"He's already awake; I'll go―" I stopped abruptly as a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. Gin stood behind me, a wide grin on his face.

"Mornin', Izuru," he greeted his lieutenant, arms still around me.

It was my turn to blush. "Gin, not in front of Izuru-kun."

"Aw, are you ashamed of me, 'Kita-chan?" Gin looked at me, mock pouting.

I rolled my eyes. "You're going to make me late, Gin."

Izuru finally spoke up. "Um…I'm not sure how to tell you this, Nikita-san, but you only have a minute to get back to your division."

I glanced at the clock and saw that he was right. "Oh, hell," I cursed. "I'm blaming it on you if I get in trouble," I said, addressing the silver-haired man behind me, who still had not released me from his embrace.

"It ain't my fault," Gin said defensively.

"Yes, it is." Turning around, I gave him a brief kiss before walking out of the third division.

* * *

I used shunpo on the way back the tenth division, knowing I would be late. As I skidded to a stop outside the headquarters, I found myself chest to nose with my captain. He scowled up at me. "You're late, Koreyoshi."

"I'm sorry, Captain Hitsugaya," I murmured demurely, actually using his title for once. "I was…preoccupied."

His intense gaze did not waver, although the icy look in his eyes softened a bit. "It's all right. Go on in, we have quite a few new recruits this year." He nodded towards the main square, where we would be greeting our new members.

"How many?"

"I think there's around fifteen. Maybe more."

"Oh yeah? That's great!" I grinned happily and turned towards the main square. "Let's go, Captain! We should get over there."

"I _was_ over there. Until I noticed that a certain third seat was missing…" Toshiro let his sentence trail off accusingly.

I looked at him, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Stop apologizing." He began walking towards the square. "Where were you anyway?"

"Um…" I didn't know if I wanted to tell my captain where I had been last night. Toshiro probably wouldn't approve, and besides, it wasn't any of his business. I decided to tell him half of the truth. "I was out with a friend." _He's also my lover. You know, the one you've been deliberately keeping me away from because he hurt me so badly forty years ago? But it's okay now, we're fine! _Yeah, right. Like I was going to tell him all that.

"Oh." Toshiro didn't press for any more information, and continued walking, his white haori billowing behind him. Needless to say, I was relieved. The white-haired kid really did understand his subordinates. I smiled affectionately at the short captain, who was walking in front of me, his footsteps quick and measured. Breaking into a run, I caught up to him.

"Wait for me, Shiro-chan!"

He didn't say anything, but I saw his shoulders stiffen at the nickname.

* * *

Rangiku was basking in a sea of new recruits, the vast majority of them male. Toshiro rolled his eyes when we reached them and walked off, probably to get away from the adoring crowd around the strawberry-blonde. It didn't last long though; upon seeing the white-haired captain, the new recruits instantly migrated over to him, asking him all sorts of questions. Rangiku, who was now by herself, spotted me and waved, skipping over. "Hey, Nikita!"

"Hey, Ran," I greeted her, waving back.

"Where were you last night? You never came back from dinner with Gin…" she looked at me knowingly, a smirk on her lips.

I just smiled at her.

"You're back together." It wasn't a question.

I nodded.

"Did you guys have sex?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "That was pretty blunt, don't you think, Ran?"

She smirked again. "You didn't answer the question."

"I know," I replied, turning to where Toshiro was drowning in the sea of recruits. "Come on, Ran. We should go help Shiro-chan out."

"You're avoiding the question," the strawberry-blonde muttered from behind me.

I grinned, not saying a word.

* * *

"Hey, Captain Hitsugaya," I said as Rangiku and I walked over to Toshiro.

He looked at me gratefully as some of the recruits crowded around me and Rangiku, instead of swarming around him.

"Hey, guys," I addressed the recruits, giving them a warm smile. "I'm Nikita Koreyoshi, third seat of the tenth division. Nice to meet you guys."

"Hello," the recruits chorused.

"How is everyone liking the tenth division so far?"

"Good," they replied.

I nodded slowly, glancing around the crowd. "That's good. Does anyone have any questions?"

Some people shook their heads, and there were a few quiet 'no's. Obviously, they weren't a very talkative group.

Toshiro spoke up all of a sudden. "Is that it?"

There was silence.

"All right then," Toshiro said. "You're all dismissed then."

The new recruits scattered, some to the division barracks and others to the training grounds. I turned to look at my captain, noting the grumpy look on his face.

"What's wrong, Captain?"

He shook his head and rubbed his temples. "It's been a long day. I'm going to bed."

"Does that mean we're done for the day too?" Rangiku asked from behind me.

"Yes. Go, both of you."

"Sir, yes, sir!" We said in unison, saluting. We glanced at each other, then burst into laughter. Toshiro rolled his eyes and walked away. That just made us laugh harder.

"So, what now, Ran-chan?" I asked after we had settled down, turning to look at my strawberry-blonde haired friend.

She shrugged, a smile still on her lips. "I don't know about you, but I promised Captain Kyoraku I would go visit him. Apparently he has a new kind of sake he wants me to sample."

"Yeah, that sounds like something Captain Kyoraku would do. I wonder how Lieutenant Ise feels about that?"

"Who knows? Maybe she's a sake fiend at heart." Rangiku laughed as she started towards the eighth division headquarters. "I'll see you later." She paused. "Wait, are you coming home today? Or are you going to Gin's again?"

I grinned. "I'll be at Gin's."

She nodded, then winked suggestively at me. "Have fun!"

"Thanks, Ran. See you later."

* * *

I walked down the crowded streets of Seireitei, greeting people left and right as I walked home. It was about dinnertime, and I didn't want to bother Gin for a meal again. As I was approaching the house Rangiku and I lived in, I heard, "Hey! Hey, Nikita, wait!"

I turned around to see Renji, Yumichika, and Ikkaku running after me. "Sorry, guys. I didn't see you coming."

Yumichika cast me a disgruntled look. "We've been calling your name for the past three minutes. And this running isn't doing my hair any good." He ran his fingers through his silky black hair carefully rearranging it.

I grinned. "Don't worry, Yumi-kun, you still look beautiful."

He gave me a pleased smile as Renji spoke up. "Nikita, are you all right?"

I looked up at the crimson-haired man, confused. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Renji hesitated. "Well, uh…"

Ikkaku interrupted him. "You've been spending a lot of time in the third division. Are you with that creepy Captain Ichimaru again?"

So that was what this was about. "Yeah, I guess I am. Does it matter?" I was annoyed. I could take care of myself. And they really shouldn't be talking about Gin that way.

Renji sighed. "I told you she'd be mad if you came right out and said it like that. You're too blunt, Ikkaku."

"You're the same way!" Ikkaku yelled. "Besides, you weren't going to say it anytime soon!"

"How stupid," Yumichika muttered, rolling his eyes at the two men arguing.

"Hey, stop it, you two." I stepped between Renji and Ikkaku. "I'm not mad. Quit arguing."

They stopped, looking slightly abashed.

"So is Gin the only reason you guys came? Or was there another reason for running after me?"

Renji shrugged. "We were worried. I mean, you and Captain Ichimaru weren't on very good terms for a while…especially after…" He stopped.

"After you broke up," Ikkaku finished for him. Renji glared at the bald man.

I sighed, wishing everybody would stop bringing the past up. "Yeah, I know. But we're okay now, really. There's no need to worry. Gin and I have always been friends."

Renji looked up, his eyes flashing. "Friends?"

Ikkaku smirked. "I'm pretty sure 'friends' don't spend the night at each other's quarters. At least, not the way you two do, judging from the moans coming from the third division."

I felt my face heat up. "Hey! You're the creepy one, spying on me and Gin!"

The bald man laughed. "Maybe you should learn to be quieter."

I blushed again. "I'm not that loud."

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. I smacked him. Yumichika applauded me, chuckling. Renji laughed along with him, causing me to giggle as well. Ikkaku joined in moments later, still rubbing his head where I had hit him.

"That hurt."

"Oh please," I said, still laughing. "Be a man, Ikkaku-kun."

"You saying I'm not one?"

I gave him an innocent grin. "I never said that, did I?"

* * *

"So," Yumichika said, taking a dainty sip from his sake glass, "you're definitely with Captain Ichimaru again?" The four of us were sitting in a crowded sake joint in Rukongai. I was sitting between Renji and Ikkaku, both of whom were already slightly drunk.

"Yeah, I am." I drank some of my own sake, while Ikkaku guzzled his noisily on my right.

"Course they arrre," the bald man slurred. "I told ya they're already fuc―"

Yumichika hit him over the head, cutting him off. Ikkaku blinked groggily, then took another gulp of his sake. Evidently he had forgotten what he was about to say, much to my relief. Yumichika rolled his eyes and then leaned forward, his violet eyes staring into my own. "Are you happy, Nikita?"

I blinked. "Of course I am. Gin is…important to me."

"In other words, she loves him," Renji felt the need to elaborate. I smacked him upside the head, while Ikkaku laughed drunkenly.

Yumichika sighed. "Shut up, Renji. Nikita is a beautiful girl, she can speak for herself." He turned back to me, deciding to ignore the crimson-haired man. "You love him?"

I nodded. "You wouldn't believe how many people have been asking me that the past few days."

Yumichika laughed, the feathers in his eyebrow quivering as he did. "That doesn't surprise me. You two are a beautiful couple, after all."

His comment made me smile. "Aw, thanks, Yumi-kun! It's so sweet of you to say so!" I chirped in a happy, high-pitched voice.

The fifth seat of the eleventh division glanced at me. "Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not! What makes you think that?" I grinned. I was, of course, mocking his obsession with beauty, although I was genuinely happy from the compliment. Leaning back in my chair, I thought back to our earlier conversation. Suddenly, something struck me. "Hey, Yumi-kun?"

"Yes?" He looked up at me, raising a delicate feathered eyebrow.

"Back when Ikkaku was talking about the…noises coming from the third division, how did he know that?" I wasn't sure if he had been bluffing, or if they really were keeping an eye on me.

Yumichika suddenly became very interested in the wood graining of the table, staring at it intently as he played with his sake glass.

"You guys have been watching me." There was no doubt in my mind anymore. "Whose idea was it? Renji-kun's?" I turned to look at the crimson-haired man, who was downing another glass of sake.

"Eh?" He slapped the now empty glass down on the table, looking at me. "Wha' 'bout me?"

"You told Yumi-kun and Ikkaku-kun about me and Captain Ichimaru," I accused, pointing a finger at him.

Apparently he was still rational enough to feel embarrassment in his intoxicated state, seeing as his face flushed a brighter red than it already was. It was almost the same color as his hair, and he now resembled a large crimson pineapple. I resisted the urge to laugh. "Well? What do you have to say about yourself?" I made sure to keep my voice stern.

"Ah…er…I-I…" Renji stuttered, at a loss for words. "I was…worried. C-Captain Ichimaru…creep. Dun' like 'im."

I pieced together his broken statements and gave him a frustrated glance. "So what if you don't like Gin? I know he can be a little off-putting sometimes, but he's my lover, not yours." I blushed slightly at my casual use of the word. _Lover. He was―is my lover ._The thought made me smile.

The crimson-haired man nodded slowly. "I know tha'." He paused, then said, "Sorry, Nikita."

"It's okay, Renji-kun," I replied, picking up my glass. It hadn't really hurt anyone. I wasn't one for holding grudges anyway.

* * *

Ikkaku and Renji decided to try and sing duets on the way back to Seireitei. I grimaced, covering my ears at the off-key warbling of the two men. "This is ridiculous," I remarked to Yumichika, who was also plugging his ears.

"That has to be the ugliest sound I have ever heard in my life," he agreed, a frown marring his features. "But you're lucky. I have to live with this guy." He pointed a thumb in Ikkaku's general direction.

"Good point. I'm glad I'm not you, Yumi-kun." I laughed, then winced as Renji hit a particularly high, out of tune note.

As we entered the Seireitei West Gate, I turned towards the third division headquarters. Noticing Yumichika's alert violet eyes on me, I looked back at him, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Yumi-kun. It's just Gin."

He didn't look convinced as he caught up with me. "I'll walk you back."

"Nah, you should probably be watching Ikkaku-kun and Renji-kun. They need someone sober around to keep them out of trouble."

Yumichika glanced back at the two aforementioned Shinigami, both of whom were now dancing around in time with their music. That is, if it could even be called dancing. It looked a lot more like staggering around and occasionally tripping and falling flat on the ground. "…I suppose I should," he agreed after a moment's hesitation.

"Bye, Yumi-kun. See you around." Raising my voice, I called, "Bye, Renji-kun, Ikkaku-kun!"

They stopped their singing and staggering momentarily to glance at me, their eyes slightly unfocused. "Buh-bye!" They managed to get out before Yumichika herded them away.

I smiled as I watched the three retreating figures. Then, turning around, I walked into the third division headquarters to find a certain silver-haired captain.

* * *

A/N: So... feedback, anyone? Pretty please? *bats eyelashes*


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I thought I'd update this, since it's almost been a month. I'm trying to improve on the whole update thing. And thank you, reviewers/favoriters/alerters! It really keeps me going.

Anyway, in this chapter we have Gin, Aizen, recruits, training, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and a tea party. I'd say that sums it up pretty well. *grins* Enjoy!

Chapter 6

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining over Seireitei, the white walls gleaming. I walked down the street, having just left the third division and Gin. Brushing my hair out of my eyes, I pulled the purple ribbon Captain Unohana had given to me out of my pocket and tied it back. I had to smile as I did, knowing that if Gin had been there, he would've pulled it out immediately. He always had been particularly fond of my hair when it was loose. Stepping into headquarters, I greeted some of the lower ranked officers before heading into Toshiro's office. "Good morning, Shiro-chan," I greeted my captain, cheerfully plopping down on the futon in his office. "Anything you want me to do today?"

"I've been thinking about something, Koreyoshi," he replied, not looking up from his papers.

"Yeah?"

"The new recruits need a good instructor in their training."

I looked at the little white-haired captain, puzzled. "What's your point, Captain?"

"I would like you to train them. I don't have the time to, nor does Matsumoto, although she may be able to help once in a while. You're the next highest officer, and you have time, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but…" I stopped. "I've never really trained anyone before. At least, not by myself."

"It's not hard. Just teach them some of the fighting techniques you use. Work on the four basic forms of combat, but try to focus on Zanjutsu and Kido. And work on shunpo too. Most of them can't use it that well."

I nodded and gave him a small bow. "All right, Shiro-chan. I'll try my best."

"That's all I was asking for," Toshiro replied. "I'll need a report every few days or so," he added as an afterthought. Seeing that I wasn't moving, he said, "Well, go on. They're down at the training grounds."

I nodded again and headed out.

* * *

I walked into the tenth division training grounds, where I was greeted by the new Shinigami recruits. "Good morning, Koreyoshi-sempai!" They chorused as I approached them.

"Good morning, guys. But please, call me Nikita. How is everyone doing?"

There were scattered 'good's and 'fine's among the recruits.

"That's good." I hesitated, wondering how to continue. "Captain Hitsugaya has decided to make a new training program for you guys, as you probably know." I watched as a couple of the faces lit up at the mention of Toshiro's name. Obviously, he had some admirers. I smiled to myself.

"Will you be the one training us?" A male voice called out. I scanned the faces quickly, my eyes settling on the speaker. He was one of the older boys, appearing to be in his mid-teenage years, with brown hair and green eyes.

"Yes, I will. Along with some other officers, but I will be your primary instructor."

He grinned, looking delighted.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto might join us on some days," I added, laughing inwardly as I saw more of the male faces light up. Turning back to the green-eyed boy, I asked, "What's your name?"

"Hitoshi Takimura," he replied.

"Hitoshi-san, would you like to be my sparring partner for today?" I walked over to a rack, picking out a wooden practice sword.

"Absolutely!" Hitoshi exclaimed, picking a sword of his own. The other recruits watched as we began circling, watching each other's moves.

Hitoshi made the first move, leaping forward with his sword pointed toward me. I dodged the attack and slashed at the boy. He parried the attack, and then backed away, going on the defensive. I smiled. "Excellent parry, Hitoshi-san."

He grinned proudly. "Thanks."

I turned back to the rest of the recruits. "The move Hitoshi-san used is very useful for defense. However, disarming your opponent is often a better idea. Hitoshi-san, hold up your sword, like so." I demonstrated, and he mirrored my movements. "Okay, now watch." I brought my blade to his and flicked my wrist, effectively wrenching his sword out of his grip. "Did you guys see that?"

The group nodded.

"Good. Now, everyone find a partner. I want you to practice that move. It really helps in a pinch."

* * *

"How did it go?" Toshiro asked as I walked in during my lunch break.

"It went great! It was actually really fun. We've got some good fighters this year." I sat down, watching as the young captain continued his paperwork. "Are you hungry, Shiro-chan?"

"Captain Hitsugaya," he said. After a pause, he added, "Yes."

"Do you want some udon? I was going to run and get some." I started to stand up.

"Yes, that'd be fine. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I left the office, heading for the udon shop down the street. As I left the headquarters, I almost crashed into Rangiku. "Whoa! Sorry, Ran-chan."

"Nah, it was my fault," the strawberry-blonde said, steadying me. "Where are you going?"

"The udon shop down the street. You?"

"Me too! Let's go together!" She hooked an elbow through mine and we continued strolling down the road. "So…" she said. "Seen Gin lately?"

I saw the grin on her face and shook my head, sighing. "Ran, you're always so nosy, you know that?"

She grinned wider. "You didn't answer the question."

I smiled at my friend. "Maybe."

"You two still okay?"

I heard the concern in her voice and quickly tried to reassure her. "Of course we are. Don't worry, Ran-chan."

"I try not to," she said. Then, "You want some sake?"

I laughed as the Rangiku I knew and loved showed her true self. "Sure."

* * *

"Here's your udon, Shiro-chan," I said as I handed him the steaming bowl.

"Thank you." He was still scribbling away at his papers.

"Well, I guess I'll go back to training, then."

Toshiro didn't reply, so I strolled back out, enjoying the breeze coming in the open door. Rangiku was waiting nearby with a bottle of sake in her hand. She caught my eye and grinned. "Want some?"

"No thanks. You're still not done?" I had finished my sake an hour ago.

"This is my second," she replied, taking a sizeable sip from the bottle.

That explained so much. "Oh. Well, I'm going to go the training grounds. Want to come? I know you've got some admirers this year."

Rangiku considered it for a while. "If it'll get me out of paperwork…"

"It will," I assured.

"Okay! Let's go!" She practically dragged me away; I assumed to get out of reading and signing the papers on her overflowing desk.

* * *

Hitoshi and the rest of the male recruits looked delighted with Rangiku's appearance. I shook my head, sighing as the voluptuous strawberry-blonde flirted shamelessly with some of the older boys. This was going to be interesting.

"All right, guys. Next, we're going to work on Kido. How many of you are good at it?" I watched as a couple of people hesitantly raised their hands. "Does anyone want to demonstrate what they can do?" No one stepped forward. A few boys in the back were still talking with Rangiku. I rolled my eyes. "Okay. That's fine." I had no idea where to start with the new recruits. Surely they had learned the weaker spells in Shino Academy, but the stronger ones usually weren't covered in detail. "Let's work on some Bakudo spells, okay? What have you guys covered in the Academy?"

A little blonde girl spoke up, answering my question. "We've only gotten up to Bakudo number twenty or so. We've learned even fewer Hado spells, up to fifteen, at the most."

I smiled at her. "That's not too bad. It's actually pretty good. Maybe we'll put that off for a while then. What about healing Kido? Can anyone do that?"

Hitoshi raised his hand. "I can do a little bit. Minor injuries, mostly."

I nodded. Most students could do minor Kido.

The little blond girl from before also raised her hand. "I took a healing class at the Academy."

"Oh? I helped teach a healing class at the Academy for a while. What's your name?" I asked.

"Matsuri Watanabe."

"Matsuri-san, do you remember how to heal a broken bone?" I knew that this was covered very briefly in the Academy. It wouldn't hurt to work on it.

She nodded, suddenly looking tentative. "Do I have to show everyone?"

I shook my head. "Not if you don't want to," I reassured her.

She looked up at me, relieved. "Okay. Thanks."

I smiled at her. She was just a young girl, after all. "Has anyone ever mended a broken bone?"

The recruits shook their heads.

"All right. Gather around, guys. Listen carefully." I proceeded to explain the slightly complicated process of restoring a person's reiatsu and healing broken bones. After I had finished, I looked around at the recruits. Rangiku had apparently left while I had been talking, since I could no longer see her. "Well, there's no one with any injuries we can practice on. I guess we'll have to practice with dummies." I paused, wondering where on earth I was going to find dummies. Maybe the twelfth division? In the meantime, I decided to work on reiatsu control.

* * *

The twelfth division was a division I usually avoided, since their captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, terrified me. I knew that it was my best bet to find the dummies I needed for the recruits to practice on though, and walked into the headquarters tentatively. The captain was nowhere in sight. "Er, Captain Kurotsuchi?" No reply. "Lieutenant Kurotsuchi?" Silence. I sighed. Maybe I would come back later. Turning around, I was about to head back outside when I sensed the slightly familiar reiatsu and felt cloth brush against my hand. Whirling around, I found myself staring Mayuri Kurotsuchi right in his painted face. "Ah! Hello, Captain Kurotsuchi!" I squeaked. "So sorry to bother you!"

He looked down at me disdainfully. "What do you want?"

"I-I was just wondering if you had any dummies the Shinigami recruits could practice on? We're working on some healing Kido, and it would be very helpful…" I stammered anxiously.

"Would cadavers be satisfactory?"

My eyes widened at his question. "Er…" I didn't know what to say. I was fairly sure that none of the recruits would be very happy practicing on the dead bodies of their former colleagues and friends.

"Or perhaps gigai would be better?" He asked, sensing my hesitation.

I brightened at this. "That would be great!"

He turned around abruptly and walked away, his haori billowing around him. "Follow me."

I didn't want to venture any deeper into his dark lair but knew I didn't have a choice if I wanted the gigai to practice on. Reluctantly, I followed the painted man into his laboratory. Mayuri walked over to a cabinet and removed a couple of body bags. "How many?" He asked as he opened one up, revealing the contents within.

I tried to remember how many recruits I had while staring at the motionless human body that lay within the body bag. Even though I knew it wasn't real, it still made me uncomfortable. Then again, gigai were definitely a lot better than cadavers. I shuddered at the thought. "About ten would be good," I decided, hoping it wasn't too high of a number. I figured there were about twenty recruits.

The twelfth division captain sighed and removed a couple more bags from the cabinet. "Here." He shoved one of the bags into my arms and I held onto it, feeling very awkward. "Now get out. I have experiments to do."

I looked at the body bag in my arms, then at the nine others lying on the ground. "Captain Kurotsuchi?" I asked politely.

"What?" He turned to glare at me.

"I-I was wondering…how am I supposed to get these back to the tenth division?"

* * *

"Thank you so much, Akon-san, Hiyosu-san," I said to the two Shinigami behind me.

They dumped the body bags on my front step and turned back towards the twelfth division. "Bye, Koreyoshi-san."

"Goodbye," I replied then turned to Rin, who was still struggling with his two gigai. "And thank you, Rin-san." He tossed them on the ground with a thump, and I winced as I heard a crack from one of them. The recruits would definitely have a broken bone to work on tomorrow.

"You're welcome," Rin said, turning and following the other two men ahead of him. They hadn't bothered waiting and were now at least a hundred yards away. Akon looked at Rin and called, "Hurry up!" Rin ran off, trying to catch up. I sighed. These twelfth division Shinigami really were callous sometimes.

* * *

"Hello, Captain Ichimaru," Sousuke said, walking into the third division captain's office. Gin looked up from his desk, an amused grin lighting up his features.

"Well, if it ain't Captain Aizen! What's goin' on that you need to come all the way over here and talk to little old me?"

The captain of the fifth division smirked. "Are you aware of the important events going on in the World of the Living right now, Gin?"

Gin sensed the slight condescending undertone in the statement but hid his annoyance with an even wider grin. "Now, why would I know somethin' like that?"

"Rukia Kuchiki has given her powers to Ichigo Kurosaki. You know what that means, correct?" Sousuke sat down on the futon in the corner, making himself comfortable.

The silver-haired man maintained his cheerful facade, his smile unfaltering. "Sure I do. Does Captain-commander know yet?"

"No," the chestnut-haired captain replied. Leaning back, he smirked, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "But he will. Soon, Gin. Our time is coming. I trust you are prepared?"

Gin nodded. "Yep."

"Oh?" Sousuke sounded doubtful as he looked at him. "Then what is this I hear about you and Nikita Koreyoshi?"

Gin stiffened inwardly when he heard this, but made sure not to show it on the outside. "Oh, I'm just havin' some fun, Captain Aizen. Ain't that allowed?"

"You are just 'havin' some fun', as you put it?" Sousuke shot him a dubious glance. "You understand why I am worried, Gin. You and Nikita Koreyoshi have always been close. I was hesitant to bring you into my plans because of her. However, you assured me that she would not be an issue. Does this still hold true, Gin?"

Gin smiled wider. "Of course, Captain Aizen. She's just a toy. I'll throw her away soon."

Sousuke settled back into the cushion of the futon, apparently satisfied with his answer. "All right, Gin." He paused, then said, "On a completely different note, are you going to Captain-commander's tea session today?"

Gin shook his head. "Nah. You know tea ain't my kind of thing. I never go to those."

The chestnut-haired captain stood up. "That's a shame. I'll be leaving then. Goodbye, Gin."

"Bye bye, Captain Aizen," Gin replied as Sousuke left the third division headquarters.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Captain-commander," I greeted the aging Shinigami seated at the table. A steaming teapot stood nearby with an assortment of cups and types of tea leaves next to it.

"Hello, Koreyoshi-san," he replied, motioning for me to take a seat. I sat down on the cushion gladly, making myself comfortable. "I hear you are training the tenth division's recruits."

I nodded. "Yes. They're a very talented group. We're lucky to have them."

"That's good. I'm glad it's going so well." He began laying out the teacups as Byakuya Kuchiki walked into the headquarters.

"Hello, Captain-commander. Koreyoshi-san." Byakuya said, nodding curtly at me.

"Hello, Captain Kuchiki," I responded politely. I wasn't overly fond of the uptight noble, although I respected his authority completely. He was just so cold sometimes; it intimidated me a little bit. Not to mention I absolutely hated his hairpieces.

Sousuke Aizen was the next to show up. He pushed his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose and greeted everyone, smiling warmly at me. "Hello, Nikita-san."

"Good afternoon, Captain Aizen. How are you?" I smiled back. Sousuke Aizen was probably one of my favorite captains in the Gotei 13. His kind, compassionate aura put me at ease completely.

"I'm just fine, how about you?" He settled onto a cushion on my other side.

"Oh, I'm doing well, thanks for asking."

Just then, Captain-commander decided to start the tea session, cutting our conversation short. I glanced around the room, noting how few people were present. I knew for a fact that my former captain, Retsu Unohana, often attended the meetings; where was she? Then I remembered that all the divisions had received new recruits yesterday. The fourth division would be overflowing with injured eleventh division recruits. Captain Kenpachi Zaraki really did enjoy beating up his new members, after all.

* * *

"What did you think about Captain-commander's green tea, Nikita-san?" Sousuke asked as we headed back towards our respective divisions.

"It was all right. I never was a fan of green tea. I prefer marigold flower tea, to be honest." I replied."Although it doesn't taste quite as good without sugar."

"Ah, yes. Marigolds make excellent tea," the captain of the fifth division agreed, nodding. "But I personally find that the sugar ruins the flavor."

I shrugged. "Each to his own opinion."

We walked past the third division headquarters, and I gazed longingly at it, hoping that Gin would come out and greet us. He was nowhere to be found though, and I suppressed my sigh of disappointment. It didn't go unnoticed by the chestnut-haired captain walking alongside me.

"Is something wrong, Nikita-san?" His concerned brown eyes looked down at me, and I smiled reassuringly at him, not wanting him to worry about me.

"No, Captain Aizen. I was just wondering if Captain Ichimaru was there."

He cast an amused glance back towards the third division, a small smile on his lips. "Well, I would certainly hope he was in his own division. He is their captain, after all. We can't have our captains all getting up and leaving all of a sudden, now can we? What would the Gotei 13 do if we lost a captain like Captain Ichimaru?"

"That would certainly throw everybody into a panic," I remarked. "But I doubt Gin is going anywhere. I mean, where could he possibly go?"

A secret smile spread across Sousuke's lips at her innocent comment and he quickly turned his head away from her, wiping the smile off his face. "Where indeed…"

* * *

A/N: Questions? Comments? Concerns?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So, I'm going on vacation/orchestra tour tomorrow, which is going to mess with updates a lot. But I figured I'd update this before I left for the people who are still following this story. And I promise the plot is moving forward, slowly but surely. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7

The tenth division training grounds were only a short distance from the house Rangiku and I shared, a fact that usually irritated me, seeing as it was usually quite noisy. However, today I was grateful for the close proximity. Throwing two of the body bags containing the gigai over my shoulder, I headed over to the training grounds. It was a good thing gigai were light.

As I entered the grounds, I heard the unmistakable sound of zanpakutos clashing. Looking around, I spotted Hitoshi Takimura sparring againstKokichiro Takezoe, the current seventh seat. I winced as Hitoshi took a particularly hard hit to the ribs from Kokichiro's sheathed zanpakuto. The seventh seat paused in his attack and made sure he was all right before going on the offensive again. I watched the ensuing battle and applauded Hitoshi when he landed a hit in Kokichiro's stomach, causing the seventh seat to double over in pain. Hitoshi glanced at me, his green eyes widening in surprise. "Nikita-san! How long have you been standing there?" He began walking towards me, strapping his sheathed zanpakuto onto his left hip.

"Since about halfway through your duel. You were holding your own quite well," I told him with a smile.

He grinned, flicking his brown hair out of his eyes. "Well, I did learn from the best."

"Aw, I'm honored, Hitoshi-san. Thank you." I gave him a playful bow.

He laughed out loud as Kokichiro joined us. "What are you doing, Koreyoshi-san?" The seventh seat asked, eying the gigai bags lying at my feet.

"Oh, this?" I nudged the bag with my foot. "I'm preparing to train the new Shinigami recruits today. We're working on healing Kido, so I brought in some gigai to practice on." I stopped. "Actually, I should probably go get the rest of those, seeing as everyone should be here in ten minutes."

"Do you want some help?" Hitoshi offered.

"Sure, Hitoshi-san. That'd be great."

* * *

The gigai were perfect for practicing healing Kido. They had all the necessary muscles and bones in them, and even if they weren't functional without a soul inside, they still proved to be beneficial to the recruits. I watched in amusement as Hitoshi struggled with the gigai that had been dropped by Rin yesterday. The impact had caused the neck to snap and hang at an awkward angle, which Hitoshi was now desperately trying to fix. He wasn't the only one struggling. About half of the students weren't getting anywhere with their broken bones. Matsuri Watanabe, however, had fixed her gigai's broken leg in a matter of minutes. I smiled at her as I walked by, monitoring the recruits' progress. "How are you doing, Matsuri-san?"

"Very well, thanks, Sempai," she replied, looking up at me. The gigai she had been working on lay on the table next to her. I prodded the healed leg and gave her an approving nod.

"You did an excellent job, Matsuri-san. You can relax now; we'll wait until everyone else is finished to continue the lesson."

"Okay." The blonde girl sat down on a nearby chair and pulled out a book. She was engrossed in its pages within seconds, and I decided not to disturb her reading. I wandered over to where two recruits were struggling with the broken ribs on their gigai.

"Any questions, guys? Are you doing all right?"

The dark-haired one shook his head, giving the gigai an annoyed glance. His partner didn't look any happier.

I smiled softly at them. "Let me help. Do you guys remember the incantation for the spell? No? It goes like this…"

* * *

"All of you did really well. I feel like we got a lot done today, but my opinion doesn't really count, now does it? How do you guys feel?" I addressed the Shinigami recruits crowded around me.

"It was a good lesson. I never understood healing broken bones much," Hitoshi admitted with a wry grin. "But now I get it. Thanks, Nikita-san."

"No problem, Hitoshi-san. Anyone else?"

* * *

After dismissing my recruits, I went home, planning out what to make for dinner. When I got into the house however, I stopped in my tracks, staring at the crimson-haired man sitting in my kitchen.

"Renji-kun?"

He looked up. "Hey."

"Hey. How'd you get in?"

Renji shrugged. "Rangiku."

"Oh. I see," I replied, walking over to the table and sitting down next to him. "What's up?"

He cast his eyes downward, remaining silent.

I leaned forward, trying to make him meet my eyes. "Renji-kun, what's wrong?"

"It's Rukia." He didn't look up.

"What about her? Is she back?"

"She…she's still in the Human World. S-she gave some human her powers." Renji struggled to get the sentence out.

I stared at him in disbelief. "She what?"

He stayed silent, still not looking at me.

"Renji-kun…" I murmured. "But…that's illegal for us. We can't give our powers to humans."

"I know." His voice was barely above a whisper.

I didn't know what to say next. Instead, I placed my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort the distressed man. We sat in silence for a while, our quiet companionship enough to calm each other down.

"What am I going to do?" Renji suddenly exploded. I flinched away from him, startled by his outburst. "My Captain and I have to leave for the Human World tomorrow to bring Rukia back! Who knows what they'll decide to do to her when she's back? She broke the law! She'll have to be punished! Damn this! Damn it all!" Renji thumped a fist down on the table, rattling the teacups that sat on it.

"Renji-kun, calm down. Don't panic, that'll make it worse. Take deep breaths." I rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "It'll be okay, Renji-kun. Don't worry. I bet Kuchiki-san had a good reason for doing what she did. And I'm sure Captain-commander will be reasonable."

The crimson-haired lieutenant followed my instructions, breathing in deeply through his nose and expelling it through his mouth. "Y-yeah. You're right." He took another breath. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Renji stood up decisively. "I'm going to the Human World tomorrow with Captain Kuchiki. And I'll bring her back no matter what."

* * *

Gin straightened up in his chair, setting his pen down on his desk and looking at his lieutenant. Izuru was still hastily scribbling away, desperately trying to finish his paperwork before helping Gin with his. The silver-haired captain smiled fondly at the diminutive blond man. He would certainly miss his devoted lieutenant. Rangiku too. And Nikita, of course. He suppressed a sigh at the thought of leaving his violet-eyed lover and stood up, walking over to Izuru's desk.

"You done yet, Izuru?"

The blond lieutenant glanced up momentarily, pausing in his scribbling. "Almost, Captain Ichimaru. I'll be done in a few minutes."

"Don't bother," Gin said, turning back towards his desk. "I'll finish up here. You're dismissed for the day."

He chuckled quietly as Izuru looked up at him in shock, not quite believing what his captain was saying to him. "Go on, Izuru. Leave before I change my mind and make you stay."

The blond practically ran out. Gin laughed and picked up his lieutenant's leftover papers. Sitting back down, he picked up his pen and began to write, his mind wandering back to Nikita as he did.

* * *

_A fox-faced teenager walked down the corridors of the fourth division barracks, searching for a certain dark-haired girl. Reaching a door, he opened it and walked inside. A figure was sitting at a desk with her back to him, a pile of papers at her elbow. Her dark hair spilled down her back and Gin felt the urge to run his fingers through the silky strands. She turned to face him at the gentle touch, a soft smile lighting up her features. "Hey, Gin-kun."_

_"Hey there, 'Kita-chan. What are you doin'?" He perched on the edge of her desk, flipping through the papers. _

_"Oh, nothing really," she replied, setting her pen down. "I'm just filling out some papers for Captain Unohana. What are you doing here, Gin-kun?" _

_Gin shrugged his shoulders. Leaning down, he brought his face level with Nikita's. "Just thought I'd drop by." _

_Her face flushed slightly as she lowered her eyes, not giving him a reply. Gin's smile dropped a bit and his long slender fingers tipped her face back up to look at him. _

_"Somethin' wrong?" _

_Her violet eyes met his and she shook her head quickly. "N-no, not at all." _

_"No? Well then, I guess you ain't goin' to mind if I do this …" the silver-haired Shinigami brushed his lips against hers lightly and felt her stiffen. He pulled back, puzzled. "Nikita?" _

_Her blush deepened. "Sorry, Gin. It's just…weird, that's all." _

_"Weird?" He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What's so weird about it?" _

_"I don't know," she sighed, absentmindedly shifting the papers on her desk. "We were just friends for so long and now all of a sudden we're more than that. I guess it's just kind of awkward." She accidentally brushed her pen off the desk and bent down to pick it up. Gin moved over a bit, so that he was sitting directly in front of her on the desk, his legs crossed. Nikita straightened up, a look of surprise flitting across her features at Gin's new position. _

_"How can I make it less awkward for you, 'Kita-chan?" _

_"I don't… well… I guess I'll just have to get used to it." She looked up at him, violet eyes meeting his squinted ones. Standing up, she walked over to the futon in the corner and sat back down, patting the spot next to her. Gin followed, sitting down in the spot she had indicated and wrapping an arm around her waist. Bringing his lips to her ear, he whispered,_

_"Did you think yesterday was just a onetime thing? That we would spar, I would kiss you, then leave you hangin'?" He allowed his lips to brush softly against the shell of her ear, and smirked as she shivered slightly. _

_"I… I guess I thought it was a joke or something," she admitted, looking down at her lap. _

_Gin suppressed a sigh and gently turned her face back toward his. "Now why would I do somethin' like that, 'Kita-chan?" _

_"Well, you always were the kind of guy who went around teasing people." She shrugged lightly, glancing up at him momentarily before staring back down into her lap again. _

_"Yeah, I am," Gin conceded. "But I ain't teasin' this time, Nikita." He gave her a genuine smile as she finally brought her eyes up to meet his, and held his gaze this time. Once again, he brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Nikita closed her eyes and kissed back, her fingers twining into his silver hair. Gin smiled, and then deepened the kiss, running his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She granted it happily, allowing Gin to roam about her mouth. As they finally pulled away for air, she snuggled up to him, burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, breathing her _in. Mine, _he thought to himself. _All mine.

* * *

Gin finished the last of the papers and set down his pen, standing up from his chair simultaneously. Walking into his quarters, he settled onto his bed with a small sigh. It would be a long night without Nikita next to him.

* * *

I collapsed onto my bed with a yawn. Renji and Captain Kuchiki would be leaving tomorrow morning, and I couldn't help but be worried about them. And Rukia Kuchiki, of course. I remembered what Renji had told me and sighed. Rukia had given her powers to a human? Who? And why would she do it? _She probably had good reasons for doing it, _I thought to myself. Rukia had always been a nice girl. I didn't know her all that well, but from our brief interactions, I had gathered that she was extremely loyal to Soul Society and her Captain. And to think that her brother would be one of the people sent to the Human World to fetch her… I shook my head. _I wonder how Captain Kuchiki feels about all this._

_Well, his reiatsu certainly feels troubled. I don't think he's enjoying this very much. _

I sat up, surprised to hear my zanpakuto spirit's voice in my head. "Senreienko!"

_Good evening, Nikita-sama. _

"Good evening to you too, Senreienko," I said, lying back down. "And yeah, you're right. Captain Kuchiki's reiatsu has seemed pretty strained as of late. And Renji's is in turmoil."

_Indeed. I'm sure ours would be too, if we had to go fetch someone of importance to us from the World of the Living. _

"Yeah," I agreed, resting my head on my arms. "I wonder who this human is."

_Me too. He or she must've been strong to be able to take it and live. _

"Yeah…" I murmured drowsily. It was getting late, and I was tired from training the recruits as well as Renji's news.

_You sound tired, Nikita-sama. I'll let you rest now. Good night. _Senreienko's voice faded from my head, and I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N: Did this chapter seem shorter than the rest? Or is that just me? I'm sorry. I think it's shorter. But I'd love to hear what you guys think! Any feedback would be much appreciated. Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Ah, sorry for the wait. I've been too preoccupied with Yu Yu Hakusho lately, so I haven't been writing at all. Hey now, Yu Yu Hakusho is pretty addicting. Hiei is amazing~

I don't know how I feel about this chapter. But there's a little more character development, and hints of more important events to come, so...

Anyway, enjoy. And I'll be getting back to Yu Yu Hakusho now. *grins*

Chapter 8

I walked into Toshiro's office earlier than usual that morning. Rangiku was still in bed, but Toshiro was already in his office working on paperwork. "Morning, Shiro-chan!" I greeted him cheerfully, smiling.

"Captain Hitsugaya," he corrected immediately. He looked up at me a moment later, setting his pen down on the desk. "Well?"

"I'm here to report on the recruits' progress," I informed him.

"I know that," he said, as if it couldn't have been more obvious. "How are they?"

"We've been working on reiatsu control, Zanjutsu, and healing Kido. A couple of them are really quite proficient at healing Kido; I bet they could be in the fourth division if they wanted to be." I grinned, remembering Matsuri Watanabe. "A lot of them are really skilled with their zanpakutos too; we've got some great new fighters. Just yesterday, I caught one of them sparring with Takezoe-san."

Toshiro gave me a surprised look. "A recruit sparring with the seventh seat? Already?"

"Yeah. His name's Hitoshi Takimura. He's a great kid. Kido's his weakness though." I leaned my head back, thinking over what else we had done over the past couple days. "Hmm… we got some gigai to work on healing Kido. Oh, and we've discussed Kido a little bit too. They told me that they've covered Bakudo spells up to the twenties and Hado up to around fifteen or so."

"That's good," Toshiro said thoughtfully, resting his head in his right palm.

"Yeah. So I think they'll be okay if we put that off for a day or two, right? I was thinking of having them spar today."

"That would be fine." The little white-haired captain picked up his pen, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Okay. Bye, Captain Hitsugaya," I called, walking out of his office.

"Bye, Koreyoshi," he called back without looking up.

* * *

When I reached the tenth division training grounds, all of the recruits were already there. I smiled warmly at them. "Good morning, guys."

"Good morning," they replied in unison. They sounded so prim and proper; it made me grin.

"All right, today we're going to work on Zanjutsu, so everyone needs a partner." I waved a hand. "Go on; find a friend to spar with."

I watched as the recruits began to partner up in preparation to duel. As I counted heads, I realized there were an odd number of recruits today. Someone would be left without a partner. Mentally, I tried to figure out who was gone, forehead wrinkling in concentration. There were just too many recruits though, and I couldn't remember. It was only the third day of training, after all.

As it turned out, Hitoshi Takimura was the one left without a combat partner. The green-eyed teen grinned as he jogged over to me. "Will you do me the honor of sparring with me, Nikita-san?" He offered me his hand in a gentlemanly fashion, and I laughed, charmed by his playful chivalry.

"Of course, Hitoshi-san. It would be my pleasure." I took his proffered hand, and he led me over to the sparring field where the other recruits were gathered. "All right, guys. Today you will basically be testing your skills against other people of your level. You've learned some tricks the past couple days, make sure to use them. And remember, we're not using practice swords today, so be careful. No lethal strikes, don't aim for people's heads." I saw a couple of worried looks and quickly tried to reassure them. "However, you can keep your zanpakutos sheathed, if you want." There was an audible sigh of relief. "All right, is everyone ready? Go for it!" The recruits dispersed.

Hitoshi, who still had a firm grip on my hand, led me to an empty corner of the field. I smiled at him. "Ready, Hitoshi-san?"

"Of course, Nikita-san!" he grinned back, drawing his zanpakuto.

"Oh?" I said, raising an eyebrow at his unsheathed blade. "You're certainly not fooling around."

He grinned. "Nope."

I drew Senreienko and took up a defensive stance. "Let's see if you've improved from last time then," I teased.

He laughed. "I would hope so. I've been working on it." Leaping forward with shunpo, he pointed his zanpakuto at me. I raised Senreienko to block the attack, but he quickly twisted away from my block and went around my zanpakuto, slashing at my face. I had to bend backward to avoid his swinging sword. "That's excellent, Hitoshi-san!" He smiled, but didn't stop his attack. Good _boy. He's not letting himself be distracted._ I raised Senreienko again and prepared to attack.

* * *

We were barely ten minutes into the duel when I heard a pained hiss from somewhere behind me. I immediately turned around, trying to find the source. _There!_ Matsuri was stumbling backward, trying to maintain her balance as blood flowed from a gash on her right arm. I was about to help her when a zanpakuto slashed down my own arm. Gasping in pain, I fell to the ground, blood pooling around me. I looked back to see Hitoshi with a horrified look on his face. "Nikita-san! Are you all right? I'm so sorry!" He rushed forward, sheathing his zanpakuto.

"It's all right, Hitoshi-san, I shouldn't have turned away from the fight." I winced as I put my weight on my arm, trying to get up.

Matsuri, her own arm bleeding, ran over, along with the other recruits. "Sempai, are you all right?"

"What happened?"

"Hitoshi-kun, what's going on?"

"Koreyoshi-sempai?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, guys. Really." I gave the worried recruits a reassuring smile. "What about you, Matsuri-san? Your arm is hurt as well."

"I'm fine, Sempai," the blonde girl assured, attempting to staunch the flow of blood with her hand.

"Are you sure? Let me take a look at it." Reaching for the girl's arm, I gently examined it with Kido. It wasn't bad, although the amount of blood had been alarming.

"Now for your arm, Nikita-sempai," Matsuri said with a small smile. A Kido glow sprang up from her hands as she prepared to look at my arm.

"Now, now, boys and girls, let me through."

I looked up at the familiar silky voice. The silver-haired captain of the third division made his way through the group of Shinigami gathered around me, his ever-present smile on his face. "Hey, Gi―I mean, Captain Ichimaru." I greeted him.

Gin knelt down next to me, gently examining my arm with skilled fingers. "You okay there, Nikita?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you here, Captain Ichimaru?"

He shrugged and grinned. "Why not?" He stood and helped me up. I leaned against him, glad for the support. Gin wrapped an arm around my waist, steadying me against his chest, and I allowed him to, resting my head on his shoulder. "So who did this?" Gin asked casually, his voice soft.

I looked up at him, alarmed by the threatening undertone I could detect in his voice. "Gin! It's all right! It was an accident. Don't blame anyone for it. Please."

His smile faltered slightly. "You're hurt, Nikita."

"I know. But it's nobody's fault. I should've been watching…"

"No, it's my fault, Captain Ichimaru," Hitoshi said, stepping forward bravely. "I cut Nikita-san's arm. I'm sorry."

Gin cast him a displeased glance. "Nikita-san? Gettin' awfully familiar, don't you think?"

I could tell Gin was unhappy with Hitoshi. The other recruits probably could too. I pulled away from Gin's embrace and pushed him back with my uninjured hand. "Stop, Gin. It's not a big deal. I can heal it, or I can go to Captain Unohana. Just leave Hitoshi-san be."

Hitoshi did not look like he enjoyed me intervening on his behalf, but I could tell from his body language that Gin made him extremely uncomfortable. I wasn't surprised. Gin tended to have that effect on people.

"Okay, so this ends today's training session," I decided quickly, addressing the recruits. "How about we take tomorrow off? Come back here the day after tomorrow at one, okay?" They nodded silently, and at a glance from Gin, scattered. "Oh, and Matsuri-san, make sure to get your arm checked out." The petite blonde girl nodded and left. Hitoshi lingered longer than the rest, but left after Gin frowned at him. I sighed. "You didn't have to be so mean to Hitoshi-san."

"I wasn't bein' mean."

"Yeah, you were."

Gin smirked.

I sighed again. "Come on Gin; let's go to the fourth division."

* * *

Retsu was absolutely delighted to see me, greeting me with a warm smile. "Nikita-chan! It's so wonderful to see you again!"

I wrapped my uninjured arm around my former captain, being careful not to smear blood on her clean white haori. "You too, Captain Unohana. I've missed you so much."

Retsu smiled. "And we've missed you, Nikita-chan." She caught sight of the man behind me, her smile wavering somewhat. "Hello, Captain Ichimaru," she said, looking wary. Her caution came as no revelation to me or him; Gin had always found ways to annoy the fourth division Shinigami during their work.

"Hello, Captain Unohana," Gin replied politely, his smile in place. "Nice to see you."

"Yes. You too, Captain," Retsu replied. Then she looked down at my arm. "Shall we get to work on your arm then, Nikita-chan? It looks like you've gotten yourself hurt."

"Yeah," I grinned sheepishly. "I'm afraid I took my eyes off my opponent while we were sparring. It was my fault though; I should've been watching more carefully."

The healer woman smiled softly and ushered me into an empty room, Gin following along behind us. I sat down on the clean white bed, while Gin stood unobtrusively in the corner.

"We'll have you healed up in no time, Nikita-chan, don't worry," a cheerful voice said from the open door.

I glanced up. "Isane-chan!"

The silver-haired woman grinned. "Hey, Nikita-chan! Long time no see!"

I hugged Isane, laughing. "It's good to see you!"

"You too, Nikita-chan. Now, how about you let me take a look at that arm?"

Relaxing, I allowed her to examine my arm with her capable hands. Retsu had left, I assumed to take care of the other patients in the building. As Isane checked out my injury, I closed my eyes, reminiscing on my days in the division. I really had missed the fourth division; it had always been such a wonderful place to work. The people were kind and helpful and always willing to lend a hand. And although some of the injuries were gruesome and deaths occurred more often than we'd like, it still was one of my favorite divisions.

"All done!"

"Hmm?" I looked up at Isane's beaming face.

"You're all set! Your arm's good as new." She grinned happily.

I rolled my shoulders, then flexed, wiggling my fingers. It was true. Looking at the pale skin of my forearm, I could barely tell that an ugly slash had been there minutes before. "Thank you so much, Isane-chan! You're amazing!" I gave the tall woman a hug, throwing both of my arms around her neck.

She laughed, hugging me back. "I wish I could stay and chat, but we have so many patients here today. I swear, Captain Zaraki just loves banging up his new recruits."

I smiled. "Yeah, he really does. I' m surprised people still sign up for the eleventh division, to be honest."

"Me too," Isane sighed as she turned around to leave. "Well, I'll see you later, Nikita-chan. Visit again soon, okay?"

"Okay," I said, waving at her. "Bye, Isane-chan."

She waved back, and then turned to address the silver-haired captain in the corner. "Goodbye, Captain Ichimaru." She gave him a slight bow and left.

"Bye." Gin stood up, walking over and sliding his arm around my waist. "Well that's over now. How're you feelin'?"

"I'm fine, Gin. Really." I showed him my healed arm. "See? Good as new!"

He examined it, his long slender fingers skimming across my bare forearm. "Well that's good." We walked out of the fourth division, and Gin guided me toward the third division. "Let's go to my division," he decided, not giving me a choice in the matter.

"Okay." I had nothing better to do anyway.

* * *

"Haven't seen you around in a couple days," Gin commented as we walked into his quarters. "You avoidin' me?" He looked down at me, lips curling into a mock pout.

"No, of course not," I told him. "I've been training our recruits, and it's taking up a lot of my time. I haven't really found the time to come visit, and even if I did, it would only be in the evenings."

The silver-haired man grinned widely at this remark. "Oh, that ain't a problem. There are plenty of things we could do at night too, you know."

I felt my face heat up and elbowed him in the ribs, embarrassed. He just laughed. Leaning forward, he tilted my chin up and brought his lips to mine in a quick kiss. "Speakin' of things to do at night…" He allowed the remainder of the sentence to trail of suggestively.

I laughed. "Save it for later, Gin."

He mock-pouted again. "Aw, come on, 'Kita-chan, it's been so long!" His arms slithered around my waist, pulling me up against his chest.

"It's only been three days," I pointed out, resting my hands on his shoulders.

"Three _long_ days," Gin replied, placing an extra emphasis on the 'long'. He leaned down, kissing at my neck. I gasped slightly as he found my sensitive spot.

"Gin..." I allowed him to press me down onto his bed and watched as he lay down beside me. He really was quite an enigma. Here he was, complaining about a three day separation, when we had been apart for almost forty years. Why would a couple more days matter? Then again, I had missed him just as much, if not more. I sighed, snuggling up to his chest. His arms wrapped around me, tucking my head underneath his chin as we lay there silently, listening to each other breathe. I broke the silence first. "Did you hear about Rukia Kuchiki-san?" I felt him stiffen slightly at the question and looked up, puzzled. "Gin? What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," he replied casually, his body relaxing once more. "The poor thing's gettin' dragged back here by her brother and childhood friend, that's all. Wonder what it'd be like if I had to drag you back to Soul Society?" He grinned down at me.

The change of subject didn't go by unnoticed. "Gin, do you know something about this?" I asked suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him.

The grin wavered momentarily, then returned full force. "What makes you think that?"

I scrutinized him carefully, searching his face for any signs of deception."It's just the way you reacted. It seemed like you know something that I don't, that's all." _First you waltz back into my life like nothing ever happened between us, and now this? What's going on that you don't want me to know about, Gin? Why are you lying to me?_

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," Gin said innocently, his smiling mask in place.

"Yes, you do," I told him, removing myself from his embrace. He let go reluctantly, his smile dropping ever so slightly.

"Now, Nikita, don't be like that," he said, his piercing blue gaze meeting mine.

"Don't be like what? Gin, it's obvious that you're hiding something from me. Something that concerns friends of mine." I sat up, looking at him indignantly. "And I want to know what it is." I crossed my arms across my chest, vaguely aware of how childish it seemed. Gin sighed, smile disappearing altogether.

"Nikita…" His arms snaked around my waist and he buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. "Don't worry about it. It ain't a big deal."

"So you're admitting that you know something?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

He raised his head, the grin reappearing. "I never said that, did I?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Gin. If it's not a big deal, then you would tell me." I looked at him pointedly, waiting for his response.

Gin sighed again. "Fine. If you really want to know, I'll tell you." He paused, as if preparing himself. Then he took a deep breath and began to speak. "We had a captain's meeting the other day. Captain-Commander was real angry. Apparently there's an unauthorized Shinigami runnin' around the Human World, takin' care of Hollows. Course, that ain't a bad thing, but givin' away your powers is still against the law. Anyway, now Kuchiki-chan's gettin' dragged back here for her punishment." He shook his head sadly. "It's a shame; she always was such a nice little thing."

I listened to Gin's explanation, my brow furrowing in confusion. "That's it?"

"Did you want more?" His lips twisted into an amused smile.

I shook my head. "No! I mean, I don't know, it seemed like you knew something else…or something. I don't know." I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. This was all so confusing. Moments ago, I had been so sure that Gin was hiding something. Now, it seemed as though he had just gotten a great weight off of his shoulders by telling me about Rukia. And it was the same information Renji had told me. Well, excluding the bit about the unauthorized Shinigami, but I had already assumed that. And as for the Hollow killings, well, that wasn't overly surprising either. Maybe I was just paranoid, suspecting Gin. Maybe Renji's and Yumichika's qualms were getting to me. Either way, Gin was already forgiven. Turning to face my silver-haired lover, I whispered, "Sorry."

"Oh? For what?" His grin widened as he pulled me closer.

"For suspecting you." I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Hmm. I don't know if I can forgive you, 'Kita-chan." His fingers began idly playing with the himo tied around my waist. "I think I'll have to punish you before I can forgive you." His smirk turned positively evil as he began working on the knot that secured my uniform.

I laughed quietly, tugging his haori off his shoulders. "You're a cruel man, Gin."

He just smiled.

* * *

A/N: Meh. Feedback would be lovely~ even though I wasn't particularly fond of this chapter. The next one will be up as soon as I finish it. Thanks for reading! *goes back to watching YYH*


End file.
